The Knight and his Princess
by AznVKai
Summary: COMPLETE - In a distant land called Seireitei, lived a girl named Momo Hinamori and a boy named Toshiro Hitsugaya. This is a love story of how these two people met and became the lovers they are today. It all started like this... Full Summary Inside!
1. Once Upon a Time

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Synopsis:** Momo Hinamori is the new transfer student in Seireitei High, who quickly falls in love with young prodigy, Toshiro Hitsugaya. However, there is one problem: he is currently dating the popular, Fumiko Asuna; a girl who keeps bullying her. Can things get any worse for her? Of course it can especially when she and her crush are playing as the beautiful princess and the brave knight in The Knight and his Princess for the cultural festival.

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**Author's Note**: Yes, I completely understand that working on three stories at once is going to be time consuming, but I just can't help it. This story has been planned and mostly written out long ago back when I was still writing Secrets Foretold. (_What? You started this story that long ago?_) Yeah yeah, I finally have taken some time to edit (and will eventually complete) this story and now, I think I'm satisfied enough to start posting it.

This one is about a classic high school love story of a girl (Momo) and boy (Toshiro) who eventually become lovers. xD Further details will be explained at the end of this chapter. This ten chapter story is dedicated to all my supporting readers and all the HitsuHina lovers out there! Enjoy!

**_~ LONG LIVE THE HITSUHINA LOVE! ~_**

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**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." Character Narration. _(_Japanese Word Translations_)_  
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_In a distant land called Seireitei, lived a young sixteen year old girl with raven coloured hair and soft chocolate brown eyes named Momo Hinamori. Actually, she just recently moved into town about five months ago to be exact. But anyway, in that same land also lived a fifteen year old boy with snowy white hair and bright emerald-teal eyes who goes by the name of Toshiro Hitsugaya. This is a love story of how these two people met and came to be the lovers they are today. It all started like this..._

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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter One:** Once Upon a Time

The alarm clock sounded. Hearing the loud noise echoing the room, a hand crept out from under her blanket and slammed the palm of her hand on the clock's top. Once it was silenced, the hand withdrew back under her covers. For the next few moments, the body stirred back and forth before she finally sat up and threw her blanket aside. Stretching her arms into the air, Momo opened her eyes to see the light of day welcome her. _"Ohayo _(_Good morning_)_,"_ she thought happily.

Leaving the safety of her bed, the raven haired girl walked up to the window. She saw birds land on the tree branches closest to her and began chirping a small tune. Hinamori smiled with content. _"Today is my first day of school in Seireitei. I hope I can make a lot of new friends there." _

With a short nod, she went to her closet, took out an outfit, and began undressing herself. She changed her night clothes to her school uniform. As she is trying fix her collar, Momo walked up to her large mirror and fixed it. She then put on her red ribbon bow and tied her hair up into a bun. After covering it with a light blue cloth, she took one final look at herself. _"Perfect. I'm ready to go!" _

With that said the sixteen year old student grabbed her bag from her chair and went downstairs, excited on what today has in store for her.

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"Ohayo Toshiro," Obaa-san (_Grandmother_) greeted to the fifteen year old teenager who just entered the kitchen, fixing his dark blue tie.

"Ohayo Obaa-san," he replied. Properly dressed in his school uniform, the white haired boy took a seat at the dining table. He let out a small sigh and placed his hands together. "Itadakimatsu (_Let's Eat_)."

Picking up his chopsticks and bowl of rice, Hitsugaya began eating his morning meal. Obaa-san took a seat across and watched him. "Has school been difficult since the new semester started?" she asked.

Hitsugaya stopped for a moment and then slowly shook his head. "No, it hasn't been. I think I'm managing quite well."

"I see. I can see why you've become the young prodigy of your grade."

He gave her a faint smile. "It's only a title. I still have a lot to learn."

She smiled back. "You're so modest."

Suddenly, he felt the vibration of his cell phone from his pants pocket. Taking the advanced piece of technology out, Hitsugaya flipped the top open and read the text message on it. Closing it once more, he closed it, placed it on the table, and returned to eating.

"Is it her again?" Obaa-san asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "She is just sending her hugs and kisses like she always does."

"I see..."

He put his chopsticks and empty bowl down on the table. Placing his hands together and silently said his thanks before leaving his seat. Following his grandson to the front door, she watched him put on his shoes and pick up his bag. "Itterashai."

With a gentle smile, she waved a warm farewell. "Have fun at school Toshiro."

Hitsugaya nodded with agreement, opened the front door, and left the family residence to go to school.

* * *

_"So this is Seireitei High," _Momo thought as she raised her head to see the building that stands before her. She smiled with excitement.

"Why do we have to go to school?" complained a loud voice. The young girl looked back to see a tall strawberry orange haired student with big assets slowly dragging her feet alongside with her pale blond haired friend. "It's too early to be getting an education."

"What are you talking about Matsumoto-san?" he asked. "You should be thankful that you're getting one or else you would have been on the streets by now."

She then waved her hand up and down. "Okay, okay...I got the point already. Let's go inside so that I can take a short nap before classes start."

He sighed with defeat. "It's amazing how Hitsugaya is able to deal with you. You two practically grew up together."

"Unfortunately, it's tough luck for you Kira; Hitsugaya can't really help you keep me under ropes because he's too busy hanging out with his girlfriend all day long."

"Ano (_Um_) Matsumoto-san..."

Watching them walk past her and enter the school building, Momo began wondering to herself. _"I wonder if they're going to be my classmates..." _

Suddenly, the bell started to ring. Realizing what time it is, the raven haired girl began running towards the school. "Ah! If I stay here any longer, I'm going to be late for school!"

All of a sudden, she accidentally lost her balance and collided against another student in front of her. As a result, they both fell onto the ground with a thud. The two teenagers groaned with pain. "Itte (_Ouch_), that hurts," Momo said as looked at the person she crashed into.

Immediately, Hinamori froze on the spot. For some reason, her heart began beating faster causing her face to turn a few shades darker. Standing before her is a young boy with snowy white hair and glowing emerald-teal eyes. Even though he is only soothing the pain he was inflicted with, Momo found the student to be quite attractive._ "He's looks cute...yet handsome at the same time."_

Hitsugaya slowly got back onto his feet and began brushing the dust off his clothes. Turning to the raven haired girl, he extended his hand out. "Daijobou (_Are you alright_)?" he asked.

Momo then nodded with agreement and took his hand. "Hai, arigato... (_Yes, thank you_)"

Pulling her back onto her feet, Momo straightened out the wrinkles on her clothes. Toshiro picked up her bag from the ground and handed it over to her. "Be careful where you're going next time, okay?"

"Ah yeah..."

With that said Hitsugaya picked up his school bag, draped it over his shoulder, and entered the building, leaving Momo dazed about the recent events. _"I wonder if he is dating anyone..."_

* * *

Hitsugaya opened the slide door and entered class 2-1 for homeroom. Immediately, he noticed a hand waving at him. He smiled and walked over to meet with her. "Good morning Toshiro," Fumiko Asuna greeted happily.

Giving the jet black ponytail haired girl a loving kiss, he replied, "Good morning to you Fumiko."

With a short nod from the girl, Hitsugaya left her side so that he can take his seat on the other side of the room. "You're so lucky Fumiko-chan," one of the girls said, "to have the genius and soccer star, Toshiro Hitsugaya as your boyfriend."

"Yes I am lucky. He loves me and I love him; there's no doubt about it and no one's going to take that away from us!" Asuna smiled and began to tightly hug herself as if she is squishing a plush toy. She then glared at her female friends. "You better not back stab me!"

"Ah...yeah."

"I'm glad you got the point because I hate anyone who dares try to take my Toshiro away from me."

"Good morning students," the teacher, Jushiro Ukitake greeted happily as he entered the classroom. All of a sudden, he started to hoarsely cough. A few moments later, he then cleared his throat and continued, "Sorry about that...Today, we have a new student that will be joining us."

Upon hearing him say that, students began mumbling to one another. "This is your chance Kira," Matsumoto whispered to her friend sitting in front of her. "If the new student's a girl, you can try to date her."

"Matsumoto-san, please..." Kira said, trying to hide the blush on his face by lowering his head.

_"Hmph, a new student?"_ Asuna thought, placing an elbow on the desk to rest her chin on her fist. She then took one look at her boyfriend at the side. Apparently, he is too busy looking at the beautiful scenery through the window. _"As long as it's not a girl, then I'm perfectly fine. But then again, there could be guys who have interest in other men. Argh, there more things to consider. How frustrating!" _

The slide door opened causing students to turn their heads to the side. The students watched a raven haired girl enter the classroom and stand in front of the class before starting to whisper comments about her. Ukitake written her name on the green chalkboard and faced the students once more. "She just recently moved into town with her parents. Please treat her nicely and make her feel welcome."

With a warm smile, Momo bowed down and greeted, "My name is Momo Hinamori. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Just as she stood up again, she noticed the white haired boy at the side. Hinamori immediately turned a little pink. _"It's him; the person who I met earlier. He's in my class."_

From the corner of his eye, Hitsugaya too noticed the presence of the raven haired girl. The eyes met one another for a moment before he broke contact first. He resumed his attention to looking at the outdoors. Momo realized and then turned her focus elsewhere. Unfortunately for her, Asuna also noticed the peach girl's behaviour. Consciously raising her thumb up to her mouth, she began biting her nail. _"It looks like I need to teach you a lesson later." _

"Why don't you sit in the empty seat next to Kira, the one with the pale blond hair?" Ukitake suggested.

With a nod of agreement, Hinamori walked past Hitsugaya and took her seat next to the older teenager. "I hope we get along," Momo said.

He gave her a friendly smile back. "Same here. I'm Izuru Kira."

"And I'm Rangiku Matsumoto," the strawberry orange haired student added, introducing herself. "It's nice to meet you Hinamori."

Looking back at her, Momo nodded with agreement. "Hai."

"Now Matsumoto, Kira, you two can introduce yourselves to her later," Ukitake said. "Right now, let's get on with the lesson, okay?"

"Hai hai sensei (_teacher_)," Matsumoto replied, sitting back down on her seat.

"Sumi masen (_Excuse me_) Ukitake-sensei," Kira apologized.

With a short nod of agreement, Ukitake began teaching his students of class 2-1 their morning lecture of the day.

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Once the lunch bell finally rung, students began leaving their classrooms so that they can do their own business in their hour of spare time. "Hey Hinamori-kun," Kira said. "Do you want to join me and Matsumoto-san for lunch?"

Nodding with agreement, the raven haired girl said, "Hai, thanks for the offer."

"Okay, meet us at the roof. The both of us need to buy our lunches from the cafeteria."

"Hai, I'll see you then."

Watching her two new friends leave the classroom, Hinamori turned to the front of the class and noticed Hitsugaya is also leaving. She let out a sigh of defeat. _"Maybe it's too soon to befriend him..."_

"So, you're the new student," said a voice.

Momo then raised her head to see three girls stand before her. "Y-Yes...I am. Who are you?"

Fumiko gave her a smirk. "Fumiko Asuna, it's a pleasure to meet you Momo Hinamori."

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**Author's Note:** Yup, a cliche (_Gah, where's the accent when you need it?_) love story with loads of fluff, jealousies, and other complications. Oh well...The Knight and his Princess is a fairytale story I totally made up from the top of my head late last year. Momo will explain more about it in the next chapter. As for the HitsuHina love, it will come...eventually. For now, you just have to cope with me. What do you think of it? Please review! Thanks.


	2. The Good and the Evil

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Getting a nice handful of reviews gives me the motivation to finish typing and editing the next chapter for this story. Special thanks goes to **Rikku Deathberry, Neko-cheung, KnowledgeandImagination, HyourinmaruIce, MoonLightView, sweet miracle 'michu 17, Kaye. Shirogane, becomeafan, lil'sayuri-chan, j cloud xD, k a y - t h i, serenity095, athfdrizzle, Ai Angel, icyangel27, RiixHitsuHina, monkeywinz, michiHitsugaya** _aka _**michi. hishiro, maili-chan, NeonCookies O.o, DestinedDuelist893, Samantha** for your wonderful reviews! Without any further delay, here is chapter two. Enjoy!

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**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_)_** Flash Back.**  
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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Two:** The Good and the Evil

"Um, did you need me for something?" Momo asked nervously.

"Actually, it's more like a favour," Fumiko replied. She then leaned towards the raven haired girl and gave her a fierce and serious glare. "Stay away from Toshiro Hitsugaya."

The peach girl blinked, trying to figure out who she's talking about. "Toshiro...Hitsugaya?"

"Don't play dumb with me; I know you've been looking at him after you introduced yourself to the class."

_"Hitsugaya...kun, she must mean the person who helped me this morning," _Hinamori thought. "Um, is there any particular reason you don't want me to look at him?"

"Of course," she warned. "I'm only telling you this once; Toshiro is _my_ boyfriend. Anyone who dares try to steal him away from me will pay the price, got it?"

"B-Bu...But it's just a coi-"

"Got it?"

Momo slowly nodded with agreement. She is clearly intimidated by the popular girl and her two companions. "Yes...I understand."

The jet black haired teenager and her followers walked past Hinamori and were about to leave the classroom. However, Asuna remembered to tell her something. She stopped and turned around. She added, "Oh yeah, there's also one more thing; don't you dare tell anyone about this and that includes Toshiro."

"H-Hai (_Yes_)."

"Good."

Once she and the girls are gone, Momo let out a sigh of defeat. _"Mou, it's only the first day of school and I'm already making enemies." _

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Momo thought that if she stayed away from the girls, things will get better. However, it turned out to be much worse. Over the next few days, Asuna and her group of girls started picking on the new student. What started to be name calling and bad mouthing behind her back slowly turned into putting her into embarrassing and humiliating situations. For example, she has heard rumours that she is the daughter of a wore or acts all _fake_ around everyone. However, she isn't the vengeful type. Regardless, she tries to let that not get in the way of getting an education or so she thought.._._

When the bell rung, it signaled the students that afternoon classes are about to start. Hinamori ran through the hallway, rushing to her next class, holding her books in her arms. Just as she passed by Asuna and her two followers, the jet black haired girl immediately pushed Momo to the side. The raven haired girl lost her balance and slammed against the garbage can. As a result, she fell down onto the floor along with her dropped books and the loose garbage scattered on and around her. Students, who have witnessed the scene, began laughing as Momo quickly brushed the garbage off her, collected all her belongings, and fled the scene to the girl's washroom.

Knowing that she is the only one in it, Momo locked herself in the washroom. She then leaned against the door, dropped all her books, curled herself into a ball on the floor, and released all her sorrows on her supporting arms. _"Why?" _she thought. _"Why does she keep picking on me like this? I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't even looking at Hitsugaya-kun!" _

For the next few minutes, she cried with no care in the matter that someone heard her from outside.

_"Maybe...allowing our family to move to Seireitei isn't such a good idea after all." _

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"She wasn't in class for the whole afternoon. What a loser," Asuna said. The aquamarine eyed girl is walking through the hallway after school with her two friends, recalling the events of what they have done to Hinamori at the end of lunch. "She must have run back to her mother, crying this whole time."

"Who was crying?" asked a voice.

Noticing her white haired boyfriend suddenly make his appearance behind her, Asuna got surprised and quickly replied, "T-Toshiro, you surprised me."

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow and then further questioned, "Who was the one crying?"

Judging from the concern on his face, Asuna thought of an idea. Suddenly, she held her arms out and pulled her boyfriend into a deep embrace. Then, she began sobering on his shoulder. "Actually...I-It's horrible Toshiro! I was the one crying!"

"W-What? What happened Fumiko?" Hitsugaya asked.

Watching her friend cry on her boyfriend's shoulder, the two girls noticed what she is up to. They both suddenly started smiling with amusement. Fumiko continued to sob. "I-I-It's..."

Gently placing a hand on her back, the white haired teenager began comforting her. "Take your time. When you're ready to talk to me; I will be here to listen," he whispered into her ear.

Behind his back, Asuna is actually not crying at all. She only acted it all out. A grin is on her face this whole time. "Y-You're so thoughtful Toshiro," she said. "I feel so unworthy for you."

"Now don't say that; you know that I will always love you no matter what happens. Besides, you made me the happiest person standing on this planet; that is what counts the most."

"Thank you."

He then gave her a cheek kiss and a comforting hug. "Now, are you ready to talk to me about it?"

Smiling at him, she slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah."

Hitsugaya let go of her so that the two can have a proper conversation face to face. "So, who is the one responsible for making you cry?"

"She...she was being so mean to me," Asuna explained. "She kept on picking on me; the new transfer student..."

He blinked for a moment. "You mean Momo Hinamori?"

"Yes, she may look innocent, but she's actually more sinister than that. I wanted to make friends with her, but I don't know...she just keeps bullying me."

"I see. Do you want me to talk to her for you?"

"Oh no, don't worry about it," Asuna suddenly said. "I won't let something so insignificant bother me. I'm alright."

"You know I'm here when you need it."

"Arigato (_Thank you_). You're so sweet."

"I'm not just sweet; I care about you Fumiko."

She slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah...I know."

For a few silent moments, the two lovers held each other close.

"So, are you able to walk me home today?"

"Sorry, I have to stay behind," Hitsugaya suddenly apologized. "I need to start working on my paper. So, I'm going to be staying at the library for an hour."

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow."

He then leaned toward her face and gave her a short kiss on the lips. "Ja ne (_Good Bye_)."

After watching him leave, Asuna soon turned to her friends and said, "This way, Toshiro won't even have a single interest in that girl."

"But Asuna," one of them interrupted, "doesn't that prove that you're jealous of Hinamori?"

Nodding with agreement, the other added, "She's right. You're jealous of her and fear that Hitsugaya might fall in lov-"

Without warning, Asuna put her face close to the girls and warned, "One more word about that transfer student and you're out of my circle of friends, got it?"

The two felt chills run down her spine, knowing that Toshiro's girlfriend is keeping a close eye on them. They both quickly nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now, let's get out of here."

* * *

Kira was heading to the shoe locker room until he noticed his classmate knocking on the girl's washroom door. Walking up to her, he asked, "Matsumoto-san, what's wrong?"

"Oh hey Kira," she replied, "I'm trying to open the door to the girl's washroom."

"Is it a prank?"

"Well, it's definitely not a funny one!" she pouted. "What if the girls who want to use the washroom on this floor, couldn't and ended up wetting their pants in the process?"

Kira sighed with defeat. "There's always another washroom. Use the one downstairs; I'm sure that one's open and it only takes about three minutes to get there."

"Ou, whoever is doing this better not do this to me again!" Matsumoto exclaimed before she bolted downstairs, leaving Kira to easily fall behind.

"Oi Matsumoto-san, wait!"

Once they are gone, Hinamori slowly opened the washroom door and looked back and forth. She let out a sigh of relief. _"No one's around..." _

Thinking about her missed afternoon classes in the back of her mind, Momo knew she had to make up time for it. Using the time she has now, the raven haired girl decided to go to the school library and study.

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Being in a library brought familiar memories for Hinamori. Before she moved here, the raven haired girl would always spend her leisure time reading books. Even though they would call her a bookworm sometimes, Momo never was bothered by it. She loved the way she would open the text and zone in on the adventures the story has to tell. It's her way of escaping from reality.

"The Knight and his Princess..." she whispered as she placed her finger on the stem of the black hardcover book.

Hinamori removed it from the bookshelf and scrolled through the pages to a particular one. It contained a drawing of a beautiful young princess and an unmasked knight standing together in the middle of a forest with their hands held together. After closing the book, Momo placed it against her chest and let out a blissful sigh. This book is one of her all time favourite fairytale stories to read.

_"It's just too bad it can't happen the same way in reality..." _

For old time's sake, she decided to read the story once more. Just as she turned her body to the side, Momo bumped into someone and dropped her book on the ground. "Ah, sumi mas- (_Excuse m_e)" Hinamori stopped midway in realization the person she collided into is none other than Hitsugaya. _"I-It's Hitsugaya-kun!"_

"Um, sorry..." he apologized. He really didn't know how to respond to her now especially after what his girlfriend has warned him about. The type of person she portrayed Hinamori as is clashing with his first impression of her when they first met.

"Iie (_No_), it's alright. I'm the one who bumped into you in the first place."

Despite all that, the white haired teenager bent down on one knee to pick up her book and stood up again. Just as he is about to hand her the text, he read the title. "The Knight and his Princess." He looked at her and continued, "Are you reading this book?"

Being handed the book back, Momo slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah, even though...I have already read it before."

"I see." The two teenagers of class 2-1 were silent for the next few moments. "Um, what is it about exactly?"

"W-Well, it's about a young princess who lived in a beautiful kingdom where she is loved by everyone around her: her parents, her elders, and her companions. She is loved very much by everyone except for her jealous older sister. The reason for her jealousy is because like her younger sister, she has fallen in love with a young handsome knight who often comes to visit the kingdom. She knew as long as her sister is in her way, the knight will never fall in love with her," Momo explained. "So, one night, the jealous princess kidnapped the young princess in her sleep and imprisoned her in a dark cave far away from inside the kingdom's perimeters. It is known that those who enter the cave are destined to never return. Knowing that she is gone from her life, the jealous princess could relax and look forward to her bright future. She managed to capture the hearts of many, but all except the knight's. His heart is with the young princess'."

As she is explaining the whole story, Toshiro couldn't help but think that Fumiko is wrong about Momo. Her voice: the gentleness, the warmth, and the beauty gave him the impression that she had no intention of hurting anyone. In other words, to him, she is a sweet cute and innocent looking girl who just wanted to be friends with everyone.

"With that in mind, he decided to go out and search for the princess on his own. He searched high and low for the missing princess; defeating many of his enemies along the way. He hopes that one day he will find her. Eventually, his wishes were granted. The jealous princess was banished from the kingdom while the knight and his princess lived a happily ever after." After she finished foretelling the story, Momo noticed that Hitsugaya has been listening very attentively to the whole thing. She turned a few shades darker and then timidly commented, "S-Sorry...I sort of gotten carried away with it."

"Don't worry about it," Hitsugaya replied. "I could tell that you liked the story very much."

She smiled and nodded with agreement. "Yes, I like it very much. To be honest, it's one of my most favourite stories to read even though it's...a stereotypical type of love story fairytale."

"I see."

"Um...you should get going to do whatever you need to do here," Momo said.

"Ah, yeah...I should," Hitsugaya replied. Just as he is about to leave the raven haired girl, he turned back to her and asked, "Um...Hinamori, right?"

She nodded with agreement. _"He...he remembers my name!" _she thought. "Yes?"

"I noticed you weren't present in your afternoon lectures."

Momo blushed and then slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah, I wasn't in class..."

He then opened his school bag, pulled out a thin notebook, and held it out to her. Hinamori took one look at it and then glanced at Hitsugaya. Placing both hands out, she quickly asked, "A-Are you sure you don't need it for tonight?"

"I don't mind," the white haired boy replied. "Besides, I already finished my homework for today."

She then accepted his offer. "Arigato...Hitsugaya-kun."

With a nod of agreement, he added, "Just...be sure to return it when you're done."

"I will and...Thanks again."

"No problem."

* * *

Momo let out a sigh of relief after she closed her books. After a long five hours of non-stop work and thanks to Toshiro's help, she would have never gotten her afternoon notes and homework done all in the same day. "I'm finally done..."

After spending some considerable time with him, she found the young genius to be exactly what she imagined him to be. "He really is a nice person," she said. "Hitsugaya-kun..."

**_"I'm only telling you this once; Toshiro is my boyfriend. Anyone who dares try to steal him away from me will pay the price, got it?"_**

Remembering what Asuna has said to her days ago, the raven haired girl leaned back against her chair and let out a defeated sigh. She began to worry about that jet black haired classmate of hers. _"If she finds out, there's no telling what will happen..."_

Keeping her words in deep thought, Momo knew she is not going to have a peaceful rest for tonight.

* * *

His cell phone vibrated on his work table causing Hitsugaya to get annoyed and pick it up. He hates people bothering him while he's in the middle of his homework. Noticing that it is his girlfriend calling, he quickly flipped the phone open and held it against his ear. "Fumiko, what's wrong?"

"Toshiro, do you have your afternoon notes with you?" she asked.

"Sorry, I lent them to someone for today," he apologized, leaning against his seat.

"Oh...I see."

"Are you having trouble with your homework?"

"Yeah, I am."

Hitsugaya didn't reply right away. He wanted her to do well in her schooling because he cares. "Here's what I can do for you; come to school early tomorrow morning and I can help you out. Is that alright with you?"

"You're the best Toshiro! Thanks a lot for the offer."

"No problem. Um...Fumiko."

"Hn, yes?"

Hitsugaya bit the bottom of his lip. He is contemplating whether to bring up the issue at hand; the one about the transfer student, Momo Hinamori. "Um...never mind. Oyasumi (_Good night_)."

"Good night Toshiro."

Once he hung up the phone, Hitsugaya let out a sigh and looked through the window. There, he saw the glittering stars in the night sky. "I wonder...why she sees Hinamori as a bully," he said. "She doesn't look or acts like one at all."

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**Author's Note:** Despite knowing her for only a day, Toshiro has already determined that Momo isn't the bully type. Hopefully, things will get better for Hinamori in the next chapter. In the meantime, please review! Thanks.


	3. How it all Started

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Phew, that was hard work writing a very long chapter three for you all to read. Anyway, thank you for your patience especially my dear reviewers:** HyourinmaruIce, michi. hishiro, k a y - t h i, icyangel27, maili-chan, DestinedDuelist893, KnowledgeandImagination, lil'sayuri-chan, monkeywinz, Samantha, serenity095, MoonLightView, SnowKoyuki13, Neko-cheung, NeonCookies O.o, applestoapples, Ai Angel, NOYB, athfdrizzle**, **j cloud xD**. Without any further delay, happy reading!

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**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _**Flash Back.**  
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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Three:** How it all Started

"And then there's Chiyo-senpai (_upperclassman_)," Matsumoto explained. She is walking through the hallway with Kira, talking away about the latest gossip. "Don't make me start with her!"

"S-Sugoi (_Amazing_) Matsumoto-san," Kira said. "Where are you able to get all this information?"

She then put on hand on her waist while she raised a finger up to him. She moved it back and forth. "Nah ah ah Kira, it's a secret."

"I-I see..."

All of a sudden, they heard a faint mumbling and rustling noise from the side. They stopped and turned their heads to look at the janitor's closet. Kira and Matsumoto glanced at one another with questionable looks. Hesitantly, Kira held out his hand on the doorknob. Just as he slowly opened it, someone quickly came out and fell on the floor. "H-Hinamori!" Matsumoto exclaimed.

The two friends helped remove the mops, broomsticks, and wet cloths off of the raven haired girl so that she can stand back up on her two feet. As Matsumoto is brushing all the dust from her school uniform, Kira asked, "What happened to you?"

Once she is done, Hinamori went back into the closet to realize that the lunch box was carrying around is ruined. "Mou..."

The strawberry orange haired girl suddenly placed a hand on Momo's shoulder. The raven haired girl looked over to see her there. Matsumoto asked, "Hinamori is someone picking on you lately?"

She then lowered her head. "I..."

The smiling older student then continued, "You can tell us without any worries. No one will go after you; I promise."

"Matsumoto-san..."

Older teenager then shook her head. "Just call me Rangiku."

"A-Arigato (_Thank you_)..."

"No problem. Now let's talk about this over lunch, okay?"

* * *

"Umai (_Delicious_), nothing beats a delicious meal to fill your stomach!" Matsumoto exclaimed out loud.

"S-Sugoi," Hinamori said. "How...is she able to eat that?"

Momo has a valid point. The three students of Seireitei High School are sitting together on the grass in the back of the school. What the strawberry orange haired student is having for lunch turned out to be quite exotic; nothing that she has ever seen before in her entire life. Judging by the looks and the smell, she might not be able to consume it. "Even I'm still amazed to be honest," Kira replied.

"S-Same here."

Matsumoto blinked a few times and noticed them staring blankly at her. She asked, "Hn, do you want some?"

Immediately, Kira and Hinamori raised their hands up and shook their heads. "I-Iie (_No_), I have my own lunch to finish."

"T-Thanks for the offer Rangiku-san," Momo added, "but Kira-kun already agreed to share some of his lunch to me. I'll be full by the time I get to yours."

"Really now? Alright then; it's your loss."

Kira and Hinamori both let out a sigh of defeat. "Anyway, can you explain to us what gotten you into the janitor's closet?" he asked.

Momo looked back and forth to see if the person she is going to mention is around. Knowing that everything appears to be safe, the raven haired girl started explaining, "I was one of the first ones out of the classroom when the lunch bell rang, but then...I met up with Asuna and her friends."

"Asuna, huh?" Matsumoto folded her arms over her chest and listened attentively to the rest of her story.

"Without a single word, she just pushed me in the janitor's closet and locked it from the outside."

"I see."

"Now that's not nice," Kira said.

Momo lowered her head and slowly nodded with agreement. "I-I don't understand why she keeps picking on me. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Of course you didn't," Matsumoto replied. "She's just jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Hinamori, by any chance did you have any contact with...Hitsugaya?"

The raven haired girl blinked. "H-Hitsugaya-kun? What does he have to deal with all this?"

"To be honest, the only reason Asuna would do such things is because she fears that her boyfriend is going to be stolen away by another girl," Matsumoto explained.

"Y-You mean...she's always like that?"

"Yeah, but the problem is...she would put up the sweet girl act and make things appear that it is not her fault at all."

"D-Does that include you Rangiku-san?"

"Of course not!" she happily said. "I'm probably the only person in the same grade whom she does not have control of!"

"W-Why is it?"

"The answer is obvious; I'm Hitsugaya's closest friend."

"Hitsugaya-kun's closest friend?"

From the corner of her eye, she noticed an all too familiar presence. It didn't take long before the others noticed what she is glancing at. There they saw the white haired teenager walking out of the school building. Immediately, standing up from her seat, the older student raised her hand to get his attention. "Oi Hitsugaya!"

Looking over to see Matsumoto, he let out a sigh of defeat. Stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, he approached her. "What is it Matsumoto?" Toshiro asked.

"Come and join us for lunch today!" she said.

However, Hitsugaya's attention isn't with her, but Hinamori. _"Hinamori's here too..."_

Noticing him looking at her, a smiling grin appeared on her face. Throwing an arm around the back of his neck, Matsumoto drew him close and teased, "Now, it looks like you have your eyes set on someone else already. Are you getting tired of dating Asuna?"

Giving her a short glare, he used his hand to shoo away hers. He retorted, "Shut up, I'm actually feeling sorry for Hinamori for being dragged into your circle of friends."

"Now, what does that supposed to mean?" Toshiro ignored her and approached Kira and Hinamori. "Oi! You're not even listening!"

"Konnichiwa (_Good afternoon_)," Kira greeted.

Momo felt her cheeks turn red. She timidly said, "Hey...Hitsugaya-kun."

All of a sudden, he stared at the raven haired girl for a few moments. She felt nervous as if she has done something wrong until finally, he let out a sigh. Holding up two fingers, Hitsugaya said, "Remember these two things about Matsumoto."

He lowered one finger towards the palm of his hand. "One, she's a gossip girl. So, whatever you do, it will be known to the whole school in a matter of minutes..."

Soon, it was followed by the other one.

"And two, she's a heavy drinker when it comes to sake. No matter what the situation is, it is better to not give her any at all."

"Eh, you're so mean Hitsugaya!" Matsumoto exclaimed.

Giving the older student a stern look, he replied, "I'm just letting Hinamori know what kind of person you are most of the time."

"And are you going to tell her about my good sides?"

There was a silent pause. "She can figure that out herself."

"Hidoi (_You're so mean_)!"

He then resumed his attention to the raven haired girl. "Understand?"

Momo slowly nodded with agreement. "Hai (_Yes_)..."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Asuna's presence nearby. Turning to Kira and Matsumoto, he said, "I have to leave now; Fumiko is looking for me."

Hearing him mention her name, bad memories of the girl resurfaced in Momo's thoughts. Letting out a sigh of defeat, Matsumoto extended a hand out to brush him away. "Yes, I understand. Go run along now and forget about us. Go ahead and spend your quality time with your girlfriend over there. I'm pretty sure she made you a nice meal to eat."

He looked at Hinamori, then Kira, and then Matsumoto. "See you in class."

They watched the white haired teenager leave their side to meet up with Asuna, who has been looking around for him. They held hands and then gave each other an exchange of loving kisses before walking elsewhere to eat. "And there he goes..."

Just as she turned her attention to the raven haired girl, Rangiku noticed that Momo has been closely watching the white haired teenager. Judging by the expression on her face, she knew that the young girl has an interest in him. She suddenly asked, "Hinamori, do you have a crush on Hitsugaya?"

Snapping back into reality, Momo quickly raised her hands and asked, "W-What are you talking about?"

"No excuses; there's no point in denying it," she said. "I know when someone is interested in my friend."

The peach girl turned a few shades darker. "Mou..."

After taking a seat right next to her, Matsumoto let out a light snort. "You know...you remind me of the time when Hitsugaya developed a crush on Asuna."

"I-I know this is wrong, but how long did those two have been...a couple?"

Placing a hand on the bottom of her chin, she thought for a moment. "I think it's about four months already."

"I see."

"To be honest, I didn't want him to be together with her, but...what can you do? He's in love with her," Matsumoto explained. "When one is in love, they don't see things that others do."

"Yeah, they don't..."

Though it is wrong to be thinking that way, Momo couldn't help, but wonder what does her crush see in her that made Fumiko so attractive to him. All she knows is that girl is nothing, but trouble. However, what can she do? If that's the kind of life he wants to live in, then so be it. "Anyway, let's forget about this issue for now and enjoy the rest of the time we have before afternoon classes start!"

* * *

Hitsugaya placed his hands together to say his silent thanks for eating such a great meal. He then turned to his girlfriend who has been happily watching him this whole time. "So, how did you like it?" Asuna asked. "I made it with all my love for you."

"It's good," he replied. "Thanks for the meal."

She smiled. "No problem."

After cleaning up, the two spent the rest of their time cuddling against one another with their hands intertwined. All they want to do is be with one another. Asuna let out a deep sigh of content as Hitsugaya caressed her side with his hand. "Do you have soccer practice after school?" Fumiko asked.

"Yeah," Hitsugaya replied. "Considering that the district tournament is coming up, it is most likely I'm going to be staying very late."

She pulled her head to look at him face to face. "Even after my cheer leading practice is finished?"

He nodded with agreement. "Yes Fumiko."

"Alright then."

The school bell suddenly started ringing. Hitsugaya is the first to leave his seat. He extended a hand out to her. "It's time for our afternoon classes."

With a short nod, Fumiko took his hand and got pulled up onto her feet. Still connected together by their hands, the two lovers walked back into the school premises.

* * *

Momo let out a sigh of relief. Today is one of those days where she is not picked on by Asuna and her group of followers. They have cheer leading practice after school in the back of the building. "I can go home safely without any feeling of sadness," she said.

She opened her shoe locker and exchanged her shoes. After closing the small door, she put her footwear on, and was about to leave when someone called out to her, "Ah Hinamori, you're still at school?"

Turning around to see who it is, Momo immediately paid full attention to the long white haired teacher. "Ah Ukitake-sensei (_teacher_) is there something wrong?" she asked.

He scratched the back of his head and said, "Actually, can you do me a little favour?"

Momo blinked. "Sure, what is it?"

* * *

The whistle is blown. Just moments ago, Hitsugaya scored a goal for his team. "Another shot put into the net with perfection!" one of his teammates commented as he gave the young prodigy a high five.

"I suppose," Hitsugaya replied, "even though it took half an hour to score."

"Kyaa! Go Toshiro!"

Hearing his name being called out, the soccer players turned to the side to see Asuna, dressing in a dark blue and red cheer leader outfit, cheering from the top of her lungs. _"Fumiko..."_

Hitsugaya made a face and then let out a sigh. "Oi oi, even though she's your girlfriend and everything, could you tell her to be a little more considerate?" another one of his teammate said. "Not all of us are here to attract and steal the hearts of girls."

"Sorry, I'll go tell her right now."

Rushing up to the jet black haired teenager, Asuna immediately gave him a deep embrace. He almost lost his balance, but managed to keep his ground. "Oi Fumiko, didn't I tell you before to not scream from the top of your lungs?" Hitsugaya asked.

"Sumi masen (_Excuse me_), but you looked so cool out there!" she replied happily.

Releasing the girl, Hitsugaya half turned to the side and gave her a stern look. "Shouldn't you be going back to cheer leading practice right about now?"

"Oi Asuna!"

They turned their heads to see Asuna's supervisor calling out to her. "See?"

Giving him a sweet kiss, she smiled. "Alright. I'll see you later during my next break."

He watched her happily skip away. As he is returning to the soccer field, Hitsugaya had a hand placed over his forehead. Letting out a sigh, he muttered, "Is this what happens when a girl is crazy in love with her boyfriend?"

The whistle blew once more, starting the second half of the practice game. During this time around, Hinamori came to the back of the school with a few notebooks to deliver.

**_"Sorry for making you do this Hinamori, but can you deliver this to Kyoraku?" _**

**_"I don't mind, but...where do I find him?" _**

**_"If my memory serves me correctly, you'll find him coaching the boy's soccer team in the soccer field during this time around." _**

She then noticed a flash of white pass by. Momo immediately had her eyes following it. _"H-Hitsugaya-kun..." _she thought, watching the young prodigy run across the field in possession of the ball. _"Oh yeah, he's part of the soccer team." _

"Well look what we have here," said a voice. Hinamori turned her head to see the boy's soccer coach, Shunsui Kyoraku leisurely sitting on the bench, drinking a bottle of sake. "Yo Hinamori, what brings you here?"

Walking up to the teacher, Momo held out the notebooks and replied, "Ukitake-sensei told me to deliver these to you."

"Oh, so he found the notebooks after all!" he laughed as he accepted her offer.

Just as he placed them right next to him, another voice replied, "Now sensei, weren't you the one who lost them in the first place?"

"W-What are you talking about Nanao-chan?" Kyoraku hesitantly said as he placed a hand behind his head.

Without any warning, Ise Nanao hit his head with the clipboard (initially used to keep track of the score) she is holding. Once she removed it, the serious girl used her index finger to push her glasses closer to her eyes.

"Sensei!" she warned.

"Yes, I understand completely," Kyoraku said, waving a hand to her. He then turned his attention to Momo. "Thanks for delivering the notebooks."

"No problem Kyoraku-sensei," she replied. "I better head home now."

"Alright then, have a safe trip home."

The raven haired girl nodded. "Hai."

"Hinamori watch out!"

Just as Momo is about to leave, she did not see the flying soccer ball headed towards her direction. Before she realized it, the ball made contact with the side of her face, sending the raven haired girl to fall down on the ground. As a result, people who have witnessed the scene, quickly came running to her aid.

She found the world around her hazy as Momo is trying to comprehend what just happened. She groaned and stirred her head to the side. By the time her vision cleared up, she noticed that Hitsugaya is in close view. "H-Hitsugaya...kun."

Moments later, she blacked out.

* * *

By the time she regained consciousness, Momo looked around, trying to figure out where she is. "You're finally awake Hinamori," said a voice.

The raven haired girl blinked a few times before turning her attention to the school nurse, Retsu Unohana standing at her bedside. "U-Unohana-sensei (_doctor_)," she said, slowly sitting up from bed.

The black haired lady smiled. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, I'm alright."

"That's good to hear."

"W-What happened? How did I get here?"

"You were knocked unconscious by a soccer ball," Unohana explained. "After that, Hitsugaya carried you here so that I can treat that bump of yours."

_"The bump..." _She gently placed her fingertips and touched the injury that is now covered in a small piece of gauze. All of a sudden, she exclaimed, "Wait...H-Hitsugaya-kun carried me here?"

Smiling at her, the braided haired woman nodded. "Yes, he did."

She then lowered her head. "I see."

"You should thank him when you get the chance to see him."

Momo slowly nodded with agreement. "Hai. Arigato Unohana-sensei."

"No problem." Unohana then began making her way to the door. "Now if you will excuse me for a moment, I need to have a short word with Principle Yamamoto."

"Alright."

With a short nod, the nurse opened the slide door, walked out, and closed it behind her. Just then, she noticed a familiar face leaning against the wall beside her. It appears that he is deep in thought at the moment. She smiled. "Hinamori is alright. You can go inside to see her now Hitsugaya," she said.

Looking to the side to see Unohana, Toshiro turned his body towards her and said, "Iie, it's alright. I'm just glad that she's not seriously hurt or anything."

All of a sudden, he felt a chill roll down his spine. The young genius immediately froze on the spot as he is supposedly warned by a scary looking Retsu. "I insist Hitsugaya..."

"Eh, I-I understand...I'll go inside and see her."

The heavy tension suddenly lifted, leaving the nurse to happily smile. "Arigato."

After watching her leave for the principle's office, Hitsugaya let out a sigh of relief. _"S-Sugoi, no wonder she's very persuasive." _

* * *

The slide door opened, catching the raven haired girl's attention. Momo said, "Unohana-sensei, you're back ear-"

She let out a small gasp. The person at the door isn't Unohana, but Hitsugaya. "H-Hitsugaya-kun..."

Closing the door behind him, he noticed Hinamori sitting in bed, surprised by his presence. Walking up to her bedside, he scratched his side. For some reason, he found it a bit troubling to find the right words to say to her. "Hey...um, how are you doing?"

She could feel her cheeks heat up. Momo slowly lowered her head and replied timidly, "I-I'm alright. Thanks for asking."

They were silent for a few moments before he said, "Sorry about before...we were having a practice game and it turns out that one of my teammates was trying to gain possession of the ball. However, he kicked too hard and ended up heading towards your direction."

Momo then raised her head and held up her hands in front of her. She waved them back and forth. "Iie...it's my fault for not having good reflexes. Um, shouldn't you be at soccer practice?"

"Don't worry about it," Hitsugaya replied as he took a seat next to her. "I asked to leave a little early. Besides, there's only about fifteen minutes left until practice is over for the day."

"Oh..."

Hitsugaya took a deep breath and exhaled. "So...how are you adjusting to your new life here in Seireitei?"

"I-It's alright, I suppose."

"So ka (_Really_)?" He smiled. "That's good too hear."

_"H-He smiled!" _Momo blushed and lowered her head even further. _"H-He looks so...handsome."_

"Hinamori, are you alright?" Hitsugaya asked. "Your face looks red."

She turned a few shades darker. She raised her head and quickly replied, "D-Don't worry about it Hitsugaya-kun!"

Suddenly, the slide door opened. The two teenagers turned around to see a smiling Unohana there. "Unohana-sensei!" Momo said.

"You're still here Hitsugaya?" she asked.

Hitsugaya nodded with agreement. "Hai."

"I see." Unohana turned to Hinamori. "You're okay to leave now."

"Ah hai, arigato Unohana-sensei," Momo replied.

Hinamori left the safety of her bed and got back on her feet. Hitsugaya stood up from his seat and picked up his and her school bags (which he left on the side). The two teenagers gave her a short bow of thanks before leaving the nurse's office together.

* * *

"H-Hitsugaya-kun, y-you don't have to walk me home," Hinamori said.

"That's not it," he replied. "It just so happens that I live in that general direction."

"Oh..."

They didn't speak for a long time. Eventually, the momentum broke when Hinamori stopped and said, "Well, this is where I live. Thanks for...helping me out today."

"No problem," Hitsugaya replied. The white haired boy then turned his body to the side. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Just as he is about to leave, the peach girl remembered something. She quickly called out his name. "H-Hitsugaya-kun!"

Toshiro stopped and looked back. "Yes?"

"Um, I-I..." She is finding it hard to say her words. It felt as if a rock is stuck in her throat. Knowing that she is going to be embarrassed, she placed a hand in her bag and took out a thin notebook. She held it out for him to see. "H-Here's your notebook that you lent to me yesterday. Thanks again for letting me borrow it."

Upon accepting her offer, he took hold of his book of notes and said, "It's no problem. Ja ne (_Good bye_) Hinamori."

"Bye Hitsugaya-kun."

She silently watched him leave the Hinamori residence as she waved a warm farewell. When he noticed her actions, he waved back at her. Once he is gone, Momo stopped and glanced at the palm of her hand. She smiled.

_"It's not just his appearance, but also...his caring personality," _she thought. _"Thank you Hitsugaya-kun."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **Some love, some hates, and some laughs are presented in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed them. Please review! Thanks. **  
**


	4. A Date with Friends

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Thank you for your patience especially my wonderful reviewers: **Ai Angel, bengara-koushi, icyangel27, Chibi Hotarubi, lil'sayuri-chan, j cloud xD, SnowKoyuki13, k a y - t h i, maili-chan, Samantha, monkeywinz, Neko-cheung, serenity095, NeonCookies O.o, KnowledgeandImagination, michi. hishiro, Selkie Aquamarina** _(x2)_, **applestoapples, athfdrizzle, Kaye. Shirogane, MoonLightView, HyourinmaruIce.** Without any further delay, here is chapter four. Enjoy!

* * *

**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _**Flash Back.**  
_

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* * *

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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Four:** A Date with Friends

Three weeks has passed by since the last time she and Hitsugaya had some one on one time together. During that time, everything has been no different except for the fact that she is hanging around with Kira and Matsumoto lately. As a result, Asuna's attempts to pick on her have dramatically decreased. Unfortunately, it is only when she is alone, it happens.

There is a knock on the door. Momo quickly rushed to the front entrance to answer it. "Rangiku-san! Kira-kun!" Hinamori exclaimed.

Both teenagers smiled. Matsumoto said, "Konnichiwa (_Good Afternoon_) Hinamori. Are you ready to go?"

She nodded with agreement. "Hai (_Yes_)!" Hinamori happily said as she is putting on her shoes.

Once she is done, Momo left the house to have some fun with her two friends, Matsumoto Rangiku and Kira Izuru. "Matsumoto-san," Kira said. "Where exactly are we going?"

"What are you talking about Kira?" she asked. "We're going to the city to have some fun together!"

"I-I see."

"What's wrong with that Kira-kun?" Momo asked.

"Iie, I just have a bad feeling about this. Whenever Matsumoto-san and I go to the city, she usually drags me to help her shop for clothes."

"Oh..."

Matsumoto gave Kira a look and then placed her hands on her hips. She asked, "What makes you think I'm going to do that again?"

Kira then gave her a stern look. "You always do Matsumoto-san..."

"Daijobou (_It's alright_)," she exclaimed. "I have a particular reason for doing something other than shopping."

"What would that be?"

Matsumoto just gave out a laugh and grinned. "You'll just have to wait a find out."

* * *

"Well Toshiro, how do I look in this outfit?" Asuna asked as she posed to the white haired teenager.

Taking a moment to look at her, Hitsugaya replied, "You look nice like any outfit you wear."

"Really? You're so awesome! Let me try another one!"

Unable to say another word to her, Asuna already went back into the change room to try on another outfit. Hitsugaya let out a sigh and sat down on a free chair. She has been like this for two hours already. Even though he loves her, he has trouble keeping up with her pace especially with stuff like this.

"Ou, the newest batch of clothes are finally here!" exclaimed a loud voice. "I've got to try some to see if it looks good on me!"

Hearing that all too familiar voice, Hitsugaya slowly looked back to see Matsumoto present in the store. His right eye twitched with slight annoyance. _"I knew it..." _he thought. _"She's causing trouble for me again." _

He then realized that she's not alone. Following right behind her is the pale blond haired teenager, Kira and the raven haired girl. _"Hinamori..." _

"You haven't changed one bit Matsumoto-san," Izuru said as he and Momo watched the strawberry orange haired woman browsing the clothes on display.

The peach girl just let out a sigh and faintly smiled. Just as she turned her to the side, she became surprised. Amongst the people present in this store, is her secret crush. "H-Hitsugaya-kun..."

"Hn, did you say something Hinamori-ku-" Kira asked as he turned to see where she is looking. "Ah, Hitsugaya!"

"Hitsugaya?" Matsumoto asked, turning to the other two teenagers. She then noticed the glaring eyes of Toshiro Hitsugaya. Immediately, she turned around and joined him. "Well, what a coincidence we have here! Are you here shopping with your girlfriend?"

"Yes I am Matsumoto," Hitsugaya retorted, folding his arms over his chest, "and it seems like you're causing trouble again."

"What do you mean by that? I just said that meeting you in a place like this would be a coincidence. Besides, you barely go out to buy clothes. The other explanation I could think of is you're doing this for the sake of Asuna's happiness."

"That's not the thing I'm talking about. I meant you dragged Kira and Hinamori into your shenanigans."

"You're such a grouch Hitsugaya."

"Uruse (_Shut up_)."

As the conversation continued, Fumiko finished changing her outfit, opened the door, and stepped out to present herself. "How about this out-"

She then noticed her boyfriend isn't paying attention at all, but to the three students of Seireitei High School._ "That transfer student...she's here too," _she angrily thought.

The instant Hinamori's eyes met with her aquamarine ones, she immediately felt intimidated. She feared that she might get picked on again after all this is over. "I've got a great idea!" Matsumoto said. "Let's hang out together!"

"Y-You're serious?" Kira asked.

"Rangiku-san, you don't have to push Hitsugaya-kun and Asuna to do this. Besides, they're both on a date," Hinamori said, trying to stay out of any future troubles that Fumiko has in store for her.

_"That's right Hinamori," _Asuna thought. _"Leave us alone." _

"Fine, we'll join you," Hitsugaya suddenly said.

Fumiko immediately turned her attention to the white haired teenager. "Toshiro?"

The white haired prodigy then shot an icy glare at the strawberry orange haired woman. "Promise me that you're not going to do this again, Matsumoto."

The older woman smiled and nodded with agreement. "You got yourself a deal! Now, let's stop lounging around in this place and go somewhere fun for all five of us to enjoy!"

As Kira, Hinamori, and Rangiku left the young couple alone, Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat. He turned to her and apologized, "Sorry Fumiko, it is the only way to keep Matsumoto out of our personal life. Can you please bear with me for the day?"

She smiled and leaned over to give him a kiss. "Of course, anything for you Toshiro," she replied sweetly before turning her head to the side. _"Darn, those insects just messed up my day!" _

"Are you alright?"

Snapping back into reality, the jet black haired girl quickly laughed the situation off. "Don't mind me. Oh, I need to get changing back into my normal outfit. Wait for me, okay?"

With a short nod, Fumiko skipped back into the changing room. Hitsugaya then turned to the side to see Hinamori talking to Matsumoto and Kira from the large window. "I'm back!" Fumiko interrupted.

Hitsugaya adverted his attention to see his girlfriend happily cuddling his arm against her cheek. Looking up at him, she said, "Let's go, okay?"

"Alright."

Once they left the store, they joined up with Matsumoto and the rest of the students. "Took you long enough," the older student said. "I bet you two were wasting your time in there making out."

The fifteen year old genius immediately shot her an icy glare. "Shut...up."

"Um, where shall we go?" Momo asked.

All of a sudden, Kira's stomach started growling. Noticing the noise is coming from him, the pale blond haired teenager scratched the back of his head and said, "Hehe, sorry about that. I haven't eaten lunch yet."

"Hn, come to think of it, I haven't either," Matsumoto said. Momo looked down as placed a hand on her stomach. Turning to her friends, she nodded with agreement. "Alright then, let's go!"

Hitsugaya gave her a look and said, "You forgot about us."

"No I didn't; you're coming whether or not you like it."

"Oi..."

* * *

"Umai (_Delicious_)! It tastes so good!" Matsumoto exclaimed. The five students stopped by at a concessional stand to purchase a few sticks of beef and fish balls to eat together.

Momo gently blew on hers before taking a small test bite. She turned to the strawberry orange haired woman and nodded with agreement. "Nhm, you're right."

"You're so noisy Matsumoto," Hitsugaya retorted. "Can't you just eat quietly for once?"

"Nope!" she happily replied.

Hitsugaya gave out a low growl of frustration before noticing Asuna smiling sweetly at him. Holding out her stick, she said, "Here, I'll feed you."

Just as he is about to open his mouth, his actions were interrupted by her loud voice. "Aw...how cute."

Immediately, Hitsugaya glared at the older student and then yelled, "MATSUMOTO!"

"There she goes again," Kira said.

"Rangiku-san likes to press Hitsugaya-kun's buttons," Momo replied.

"She sure does."

All of a sudden, Hitsugaya left his seat and began walking away. Matsumoto called out, "Oi, where are you going?"

It didn't take long before Asuna followed right behind him. "Oi Toshiro, wait for me!"

He stopped and then looked back at Matsumoto with a glare. "Somewhere far away from you."

As he continued walking, Asuna placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Come on..."

"Sorry for making you tolerate with this side of me," he said. "After all these years, Matsumoto never fails to irritate me."

"It's alright," she replied. _"As long as Hinamori doesn't interfere with us, then I'm fine with anything." _

Once the two lovers left, Matsumoto placed her hands on her hips and said, "Gee, he really is pissed off today."

Kira and Hinamori shot a strange look at the strawberry orange haired student. The pale blond haired teenager explained, "He's pissed off because you're the one who ticked him off."

"Huh, I did?"

"Oi, don't fake the act, you did it intentionally."

"Um Rangiku-san," Hinamori said. "He might not want to be your friend anymore."

She then smiled. "Daijobou, he won't end our friendship."

"Mou..."

* * *

Momo let out a sigh as she is heading her way home. Today has been an exhausting day. After Hitsugaya and Asuna has left the group, Matsumoto has taken both her and Kira to hang out on their own. "I think I understand how much he feels," she said. "Sugoi (_Amazing_)..."

"Hinamori..."

She raised her head to see the white haired teenager suddenly in her view. Momo turned to him so that they can communicate face to face. "Ah H-Hitsugaya-kun! What are you doing here?" she asked. "Um, where's Asuna?"

"I already took her home," he replied. "I was about to head back to my house."

"Oh...I see. I was just heading home too from a long day of being with Rangiku-san and Kira-kun."

Hitsugaya let out a sigh and placed his hands into his pants pockets. He mumbled, "Sorry for ruining your day."

"Ah, no...it's alright!" Momo replied, holding her hands out in mock stance.

"Matsumoto has a tendency to pick on me, but that's only because she wants me to loosen up."

"So ka (_Really_/_Is that so_)?"

He then lowered his head slightly. "Strange isn't it?"

Momo blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The way I act at school and in front of my friends...are totally different."

"Yeah, they do..." she replied. "How do you feel when you're in front of Asuna?"

Hitsugaya then raised his head. "Fumiko?"

Realizing what she said, Momo turned her body to the side and quickly corrected herself, "Y-You don't have to answer me if you don't want to..."

"Even though we're dating, I couldn't say things openly...compared to her."

"Oh..."

"I'm sure Matsumoto has told you about my relationship with Fumiko."

"Y-Yeah, she did," she admitted. "You had a crush on her and Rangiku-san helped you confess your feelings to her. Then, you found out that she likes you back which lead to where you are today."

"It has been about five months since we've been going out, but lately..." His voice turned into a whisper. "I don't feel as comfortable around her as I usually was."

Momo blinked. "Um, pardon me?"

Noticing that he has said too much, Hitsugaya quickly changed the subject. "Anyway, it's getting dark out here. Let me walk you home Hinamori."

She blushed and slowly nodded. "Okay."

As he is taking her home, Hitsugaya has briefly checked on Hinamori from time to time. Luckily, she didn't notice him at all. After looking at her for the third time, he adverted his emerald-teal eyes elsewhere.

**_"Hitsugaya..." _**

**_"What is it Matsumoto?" _**

**_"There's something you need to know about Asuna."_**

**_"What?" _**

**_"She's not what it seems...you may find her a nice and sweet girl, but she is not." _**

**_"Even though you say that, there is no proof that she is going around doing bad stuff. I need to see for myself."_**

**_"So you want to see for yourself, huh? Then, you should keep an eye on Hinamori." _**

**_"What does she have to do with this?"_**

**_"Your sweet girlfriend actually has been picking on Hinamori ever since her first day here." _**

**_"H-Hinamori?" _**

**_"Yes..." _**

_"Fumiko, why would she hurt Hinamori?" _he wondered. _"This girl...hasn't done anything to harm anyone." _

He then recalled Asuna's warning to him about her. _"Why would...she lie to me like that?" _

"Arigato (_Thank you_) Hitsugaya-kun, for taking me home," Momo said.

"Ah yeah..." he replied.

Just as she is about to go inside, Hitsugaya extended a hand out and said, "Hinamori."

She stopped, turned around and asked, "Hn, yes?"

He opened his mouth, but no words escaped. He wanted to ask her about Fumiko. Instead, he said something totally different, "Um, thanks...for listening to me."

Momo smiled. "No problem. I'll see you at school on Monday."

"Ja ne (_Good bye_)."

"Bye bye."

Once she left, Hitsugaya took one last look at the Hinamori residence before he started leaving. _"Hinamori being picked on by Asuna,"_ he thought. _"People have been telling me the same thing about their female friends. There's only one way to find out...is to ask her myself." _

* * *

**Author's Note: **Some love, some hates, and some laughs are presented in this chapter. Hope you enjoyed them. Please review! Thanks. **  
**


	5. For the Cultural Festival

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

* * *

**Author's Note**: **Icyangel27, maili-chan, DestinedDuelist983**_ (x2)_**, MoonLightView, lil'sayuri-chan, serenity095, Neko-cheung, KnowledgeandImagination, Kaye. Shirogane, k a y - t h i, Samantha, Ai Angel, applestoapples, athfdrizzle, michi. hishiro, **and **monkeywinz**...thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Without any further delay, here is chapter five. Enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
_

_

* * *

_

**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Five:** For the Cultural Festival...

The school bell rung; classes are about to start. The students of class 2-1 took their seats once Ukitake stepped into the classroom. With his usual smile on his face, he has something to tell his students. "Class, I have important news to tell you all," he explained. "As you have already noticed, there is not much time before the cultural festival."

All of a sudden, students started to speak to one another. "Oh yeah, the cultural festival's coming up," Matsumoto said as she placed a finger on her chin.

"I wonder what we are doing for this year," Kira replied.

"Ne, what did you guys do last year?" Hinamori asked.

"Last year, we did a maid cafe," Matsumoto answered. "You should have seen us! We were a big hit!"

Kira made a face and leaned towards Hinamori. He whispered, "Actually, it's because we have Matsumoto-san as one of the maids."

"I-I see..."she replied. _"I can imagine all the boys coming just to be served by her." _

"I'm not the only one," Matsumoto added. "With Hitsugaya's help, we've also attracted lots of girls too. You should have seen him in a butler's costume!"

All of a sudden, Hinamori started picture him in that outfit. She turned a few shades darker as she thought more and more about him. She quickly buried her face into her sleeves. _"Mou..."_

"What we're doing for this year is a school play," Jushiro said.

"A school play?" Kira asked.

"I wonder what play we're performing," Momo wondered.

"The play I have decided for our class to play..." Ukitake turned around, picked up a piece of chalk, and written the title of the play on the green board.

Students have waited anxiously to know. By the time he moved to the side, expressions were changed into both happiness and disappointment. Hinamori's eyes widened upon realization. _"The play we're performing is that one."_

"Our class will be performing The Knight and his Princess."

* * *

"Kyaa! The Knight and his Princess story!" Asuna exclaimed. She turned to her boyfriend excitedly continued, "A classic romantic story between two fated lovers."

"Yeah, it is..." Hitsugaya replied absent mindedly. _"Hinamori's favourite story..." _

"I could see it now; the both of us on stage, assuming the fated roles: the brave knight and the young princess! I am being tortured by the evil schemes from the jealous princess and taken away to the lost cave. After that, my knight in shining armour will come to my rescue!" Fumiko dreamily explained as she placed her hands together. _"The one filling the jealous sister role will be none other than the transfer student, Hinamori! That's perfect!" _

"Fumiko, it is not guaranteed that our roles are going to be like that. Tomorrow, Ukitake-sensei (_teacher_) will be sorting our roles."

"Toshiro and I, the knight and his princess; I love it especially when it comes to the kissing scene. Ou, there has to be one; I'm sure of it!"

Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat. "You're not even listening..."

Not too far away, Matsumoto, Kira, and Hinamori are relaxing together under the shade of the large tree in the schoolyard. "The Knight and his Princess, huh?" Izuru said. "I wonder who is going to be playing the two star roles."

"We won't know until tomorrow's homeroom class," Momo replied.

Hinamori turned to the side and noticed Matsumoto hasn't said much for almost the whole break period. Judging by the way she has her arms folded over her chest and a serious expression on her face, she appears to be thinking carefully about something. "Um, Matsumoto-san...you've been quiet lately."

Snapping back into reality, the strawberry orange haired woman placed a hand on the back of her head and laughed. "Oh, don't worry about me," she replied. "I'm just imagining a good scenario in my mind."

The raven haired girl and the pale blond haired teenagers blinked. "Scenario?"

"What scenario?" Hinamori questioned.

"The scenario where you and Hitsugaya are both on stage sharing a loving kiss," she replied with grin and a wink.

Immediately, Momo turned several shades darker. "R-Rangiku-san! Our roles haven't been determined yet! So, i-it's not guaranteed that the both of us are getting the main roles!"

"And then after that...all of a sudden, Hitsugaya really does fall in love with you and presto, you can finally get your happily ever after!"

"Mou..."

"Daijobou (_It's alright_) Hinamori," Matsumoto said. "I was only teasing you. Besides, what are the chances of that happening anyway?"

"Barely to be exact," Kira answered.

"You got that right Kira."

_"Yeah...I'm most likely not getting the princess role. There's also the slim chance of Hitsugaya-kun getting the knight role as well," _Momo thought. Thinking about the play made her feel happy. _"At least, we're going to perform my favourite story. That's all that matters." _

* * *

"As I said yesterday," Ukitake explained. "Our class will be performing the Knight and his Princess for the school cultural festival. In order to determine everyone's roles fair and square, we are going to do this by drawing numbers."

Jushiro then pasted two sheets of paper on the board. "These are all the available roles with the corresponding numbers that go with it. Whatever number you get, it is your role."

_"Darn, I can't see which number has the princess role!" _Asuna angrily thought. _"My seat's too far from the board!" _

Picking up a box with folded pieces of small paper he already set up on his desk, the long haired teacher walked around the classroom, allowing students to pick one at a time. When it came to Hinamori's turn, the raven haired girl picked out a sheet and slowly unfolded it to see a number written in dark blue marker. _"So this is my number..."_

Fumiko picked out her number. _"Yes! It is definitely the best role! I am lucky!" _she thought happily. She then turned to see Hinamori. _"Whatever number she has...let it be the jealous sister's number!" _

When Hitsugaya picked out his folded paper, he unfolded it and let out a small sigh. Looking attentively at the teacher, he watched Ukitake come back to the front of the class. "Now, let's announce the three main roles shall we?" he asked. "Whoever has the number ten, you have the knight role."

"Hn, so the number ten has it..." Matsumoto said.

"I wonder who in our class has it," Kira wondered.

Suddenly there were a few gasps and mutters that filled the room. Immediately, heads started turning to the white haired boy sitting on the side of the class. He held up his unfolded piece of paper for the teacher to see. It had the number Ukitake called out a while ago: the number ten. "So Hitsugaya has that role," Jushiro said, writing his name down on his list of performers and their roles."We'll be expecting a lot from you."

_"Really now?" _he casually thought.

_"Yes, Toshiro has gotten the role!" _Fumiko thought as she put up a small guts pose with a fist. _"Now, it's time for me to fulfill my side of the bargain!" _

"Number one," Ukitake said.

Asuna quickly stood up from her seat. With the paper held up high, she proudly said, "I have the number one!"

"So ka (_Is that so_)? Well Asuna, you have the jealous princess role."

"Really? Arigato, you're so ki-" Fumiko said before she stopped midway. "Eh, did you just say the jealous princess role?"

Ukitake smiled and nodded with agreement. "Hai (_Yes_)."

"It can't be!" she exclaimed. "There has to be some mistake!"

The teacher looked down to his reference sheet to double check and then the sheets on the green board. Resuming his attention to her, he replied, "Nope, I'm not mistaken."

"Th-Then who has the young princess role?" Asuna asked.

Taking a moment to write her name down on his list and the last main role, Ukitake said, "Whoever has the number five on their folded sheet of paper."

Kira looked down on his sheet of paper and sighed with relief. "Good, I don't have that number..."

Matsumoto grinned and started nudging the younger teenager. "You're lucky Kira," she replied. "If you did have it, you would have to do the kissing scene with Hitsugaya."

The younger teenager turned a few shades darker. "M-Matsumoto-san, that's definitely not funny!"

"En contraire, I think it would totally attract a good crowd."

"EH!" exclaimed a voice.

People turned their heads to see the peach girl suddenly out of her seat, shocked about something. "What's wrong Hinamori?" Ukitake asked.

Realizing what is happening; the raven haired girl blushed with embarrassment and sat back down on her seat. "A-Actually...I'm just surprised that I drew the number...five," she timidly replied.

Ukitake smiled. "So ka? So you're the young princess. Good for you."

_"I-I actually have the main role...and my knight is going to be Hitsugaya-kun!"_ she exclaimed.

_"So, Hinamori is playing the princess role," _Hitsugaya thought.

_"You little insect! Now, that's overboard!" _Asuna angrily thought. _"She gets the young princess role! I was supposed to get it! Now, we can't share the special moment on stage, but he and that girl will! Arghhh!"_

* * *

"Congratulations Hinamori! Faith has decided that both of you shall share that special moment on stage together!" Matsumoto said as she is walking through the hallway with her two friends.

"Mou Rangiku-san," Momo replied. "Don't say it like that."

"But it's true!"

Even though she has said that, the raven haired girl is quite happy that she got to play as the young princess. This is a good opportunity to show to her schoolmates what kind of person she truly is. "By the way, what roles do you two have?"

Matsumoto then placed a thumb and pointed towards herself. "I have the honour of making taking care of the props and costumes!"

"S-So ka?"

"Daijobou Hinamori, I'm going to make you so beautiful that you're totally going to steal Hitsugaya's heart! As for Hitsugaya, it is obvious I'm going to make him so handsome that you couldn't resist the urge to kiss him on the spot!"

"Mou..."

"I'm in charge of the lights and sound," Kira said.

"I see."

Looking ahead of them, Matsumoto noticed the presence of a familiar friend and his girlfriend. She raised a hand and waved, "Hey Hitsugaya!"

Hinamori immediately stiffened as the white haired teenager noticed and stopped walking. He allowed them to catch up. On the other hand, Asuna looked back to see the raven haired girl. She hissed between her teeth and marched ahead, leaving Hitsugaya behind. He noticed her leave and turned his attention to them. Rangiku placed a hand on his shoulder and happily said, "Congratulations for getting the star role in the play!"

He gave her a look and retorted, "Thanks, but that excuse isn't going to get me to allow you to step foot into my house."

"But really, the play is about two weeks away! We need to start practicing pronto!"

"If I had to invite someone it would be Hinamori," Hitsugaya said. "You and Kira don't have any acting roles for the play."

"Aw, that's so mean!"

The white haired prodigy let out a sigh. Looking ahead and noticing that his girlfriend completely ditched him, Hitsugaya said, "Anyway, I need to get going."

"Alright then, see you Hitsugaya," Kira said.

"Bye bye," Matsumoto added.

Momo waved a short farewell, "Ja ne Hitsugaya-kun."

Looking at her for a brief moment, he then gave her a short bow. "Ja ne (_Good bye_) Hinamori."

With that said, he quickly left the school building to catch up with Asuna. Seeing the raven haired girl dreamily watch her crush leave her side, Matsumoto quickly arm hooked her neck and pulled her close. She said, "I know what you're thinking; you want him to stay longer, don't you?"

The sixteen year old girl turned red and pulled away from the amused teenager. "Mou Rangiku-san, stop with the teasing!"

"Alright alright, I'll stop for today."

"Anyways, let's head home now," Kira suggested. "It's getting late."

"You got that right."

"Hai," Momo agreed.

* * *

"Fumiko, what are you upset about?" Hitsugaya asked after he caught up with the aquamarine eyed girl, who is walking on her way home.

"What are you talking about?" she replied with a sweet smile. "I'm not upset."

"I think I know you well enough to know what you're thinking. You obviously don't want to hang around with my friends. Is there a particular reason you despise them?"

"I'm telling you, you're only seeing things. It's probably just because I'm currently experiencing mood swings. You know, the ones caused by my usual cycle."

Understanding what she is getting at, Hitsugaya turned his head away from her and said, "Oh...menstruation, huh?"

She slowly nodded with agreement. "There's also something important I need to say," he said.

"Hn, what is it?"

He stopped walked, causing her to stop as well. "I heard...rumours that there is a student in the school who have been bullying girls who are around your age."

"What? There is a rumour about that?" Asuna asked. "I'm quite shocked to be honest. This is the first time I've heard it."

"Fumiko..." He looked deeply into her eyes. "Are yo-Be sure to tell me if something like that happens to you."

She smiled and nodded. "I will; thanks for looking out for me."

"No problem."

With that said Hitsugaya dropped her off at her house and headed his way home. 

_"She can't be...there's no way for her to act that way. I'll never believe it."_

Suddenly, he thought of the raven haired girl. He stopped walking for a moment to look up at the partly cloudy sky above.

_"I guess I have no other choice, but to prove Fumiko's innocence and help Hinamori from getting into anymore danger." _

* * *

**Author's Note: **Blinded, but not entirely. At least they get to spend more time with one another since they're the stars of the play! xD Anyway, please review! Thanks. **  
**


	6. The Special Moment

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Half of the story is already done for this story. It's time to start the second half of the story and light the HitsuHina firecrackers! The moment you've all been waiting for is going to be presented in this chapter. Special thanks goes to my awesome reviewers:** icyangel27****, KnowledgeandImagination, Kaye. Shirogane, monkeywinz, Samantha, applestoapples, Ai Angel, becomeafan, lil'sayuri-chan, MoonLightView, NeonCookies O.o, maili-chan, Neko-cheung, k a y - t h i, HyourinmaruIce, athfdrizzle, michi. hishiro. **Thanks for your support! Without any further adieu, here is chapter six. Enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
_

_

* * *

_

**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Six:** The Special Moment

"The young princess has been missing for days with not clue to where she is," Hitsugaya recited with his eyes closed and a hand placed over to where his heart is located. Reopening the glowing emerald-teal orbs, he continued to say the rest of his lines for his classmates to listen. "Now, it's time for me to set forth into unknown territory. I will find her even if it kills me."

One week has passed by since the students of class 2-1 have been assigned to perform The Knight and his Princess for the cultural festival, everyone has been working hard to memorize their lines and finish making the props and costumes. Hitsugaya raised his rolled up script into the air and looked up at it. "By this blade, I promise to return to the kingdom safely with the princess."

"Alright that's it for this scene," Ukitake said.

While his classmates were clapping and girl screams on a job well done, Hitsugaya put his arm down and let out a sigh. He turned his attention to see the one person who made the loudest noise, his girlfriend. "Bravo, you're magnificent! You're wonderful!" Asuna cheered.

"We're practicing the next scene now."

All of a sudden, Matsumoto slapped the back of her raven haired friend, causing her to quickly stand up with surprise. "That's your cue Hinamori. Knock 'em dead!" she suggested.

_"Easy for you to say," _Momo thought as she slowly made her way to the front of the class. In this scene, the knight arrives at the dark cave of no return, fights his enemies, and rescues the missing princess. After her rescue, the two is to share a kiss. At the thought of it, Hinamori blushed and quickly shook her head. _"Mou, now is not the time to be thinking about it!"_

Ukitake clapped his hands together and said, "Alright everyone, get into your positions."

Students involved with the scene got into their positions.

"Ready? Action!"

People were anxiously waiting to see what Hitsugaya will do in the battle scene. Putting his rolled up script on the side; he pretended it to be a sword which drew out of its sheath. Three students, who are to be monster creatures, stood in front of him. He got into a battle stance watched their movements carefully.

By the time one of them made the first move, Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and charged as well. Holding his pretend sword horizontally, he slashed his enemy off to the side and went for the other two. The next student tried to attack him from the side, but he was too smart for him. He evaded by doing a faint before he _cut _him down. The last student grabbed one sleeve of his dress shirt to signal that damage has been inflicted upon him. Hitsugaya pulled back and placed his free hand on his invisible wound. He hissed between his teeth. Ignoring the _pain_, he defeated his last obstacle and proceeds deeper in the _cave_.

"Sugoi (_Amazing_), he really is a genius," Kira said.

Matsumoto smiled and nodded with agreement. "You can expect no failure from someone as bright as him."

"Hai."

"Ou, it's getting to the good part!" Rangiku said as she arm hooked the younger teenager and pulled him close. "The kissing scene!"

"M-Matsumoto-san..." Kira coughed. "Y-You're ch-choking me!"

Students knew of Hitsugaya's relationship with Asuna. They (in particular, the girls) were worried that she might get very angry and do whatever it takes to keep the young genius from losing a kiss to someone else. However, she has been quietly watching this whole time when mentally, she's ready to murder someone. She raised a hand up and bit her thumb nail tightly. _"Damn that wretched insect!" _

"At long last, I have found you my princess!" Toshiro recited. He then extended a hand out for Hinamori to hold. "Come; let us not dwell here any longer. I shall take you back to your kingdom."

Hinamori smiled and nodded with agreement. With that said the two actors have fought their way out of the cave and stood in the middle as if they are under the spotlight. They turned to each other face to face with their hands joined. "My dear knight," Momo said. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. I felt like forever since I have seen a familiar face."

"My princess, I will always protect you whenever you need it." Hitsugaya looked down for a brief moment before looking into Momo's chocolate brown eyes. "I do these things because...I love you."

Momo blushed and looked away for a moment. Even though it's only an act, she couldn't get her heart to stop beating so fast. The way Hitsugaya acted, it felt like he really is confessing to her. Looking back at the white haired teenager, the young girl said, "I-I love you...too; I always did and I always...will."

Dazed into each others eyes, Toshiro wrapped his hands around her back and pulled her close. Their classmates in the background are anxiously watching. Most of them felt the love in the air while others like Asuna felt the opposite. _"Damn it!" _

Momo couldn't take the stress any longer. So, she closed her eyes and waited for the moment to end. Just as Hitsugaya is about to kiss her on the lips, at the last second, he changed his course and ended up kiss the side of her cheek. By the time Toshiro pulled away, one of his classmates stood up from his seat and complained to him. "Oi Hitsugaya, you're supposed to be actually kissing her! Don't you understand that this scene is the most important scene in the play?"

The young prodigy turned his body to the side and folded his arms over his chest. He glared at him. "I understand all that perfectly. You should at least be considerate that performing this scene is more difficult that you think."

"What is so difficult? Don't tell me your feelings for Asuna are pulling you back! For Pete's sake, you're an actor right now!"

Hitsugaya just hissed between his teeth and turned his head away. While he continued to argue with him, Asuna let out a sigh of relief. On the other hand, Hinamori turned around so that no one is able to see her blush. She placed a hand on her cheek, the spot where he left his mark. _"Hitsugaya-kun..." _

The classmate then pointed his rolled up scroll in front of him and exclaimed, "You know what you need? You need practice time performing that scene with Hinamori!"

Momo suddenly exclaimed, "Eh?"

He turned around to see the shocked raven haired girl. "Don't make that look. You know we have to get that scene right!"

The young girl replied nervously, "B-But...y-you can't force Hitsugaya-kun...to do things he doesn't want to do. Besides, i-if we did that on stage, i-it would not look realistic."

He then placed a hand on his chin. "Hn, you got a point there."

"Daijobou (_It's alright_)," Ukitake said. The students turned their heads to see the smiling teacher. "I'm sure you two will sort something out with that kissing scene, right?"

Hitsugaya and Hinamori both slowly nodded with agreement. "Hai (_Yes_)."

"Leaving that part aside, you two should still practice together."

Suddenly, the school bell rung.

"Well, look at the time, class is over already. Remember: we're having another practice session tomorrow morning. See you all tomorrow."

As students began packing their belongings and leaving the classroom, Asuna joined her boyfriend and happily said, "Toshiro, I'm all set and ready to go!"

Once he is finished packing, Hitsugaya turned to the jet black haired girl. "Sorry Fumiko, I can't walk you home today," he apologized. "I have important business to take care of."

"Oh, okay then. I'll just walk home with my friends."

"I'm sorry again."

She smiled. "It's alright. You do what you need to do, okay?"

He slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah..."

"Ja ne (_Good bye_)!"

"See you tomorrow."

Once he finished watching her leave, Hitsugaya let out a deep sigh. If he told her what he really is going to do, she will most likely try to do something about it, according to what Matsumoto and everyone says about her. The white haired teenager approached Hinamori and tapped on her shoulder.

Without warning, the raven haired girl turned around and jumped. "H-Hitsugaya-kun!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Do you always do that whenever someone approaches you?"

Giving a hesitant laugh, she replied, "Hehe, not really...so, do you need to talk to me for something?"

"Are you available right now?"

Momo blinked. "Huh?"

Hitsugaya gave her a look and reminded her, "We need to practice our parts together."

Totally remembering about it, the peach girl quickly replied, "Oh, ah...yeah. I'm okay with that."

"I see," he replied. "Sorry, I usually plan these things ahead of time, but..."

The raven haired girl nodded with agreement. "Iie (_No_), I'm fine with the last minute plans. Besides, I can work around a few things."

"So ka? Arigato. (_Really? Thank you._)"

"No problem. Why don't we practice outside on the rooftop?"

"Alright then, I'll see you upstairs."

After watching him leave the classroom, Momo let out a sigh of relief. She felt like her heart is about to rip out of her chest. _"I'm going to be practicing with him alone."_

"Judging from the look on your face, something good must have happened to you," said a voice.

Turning to the side to see her friends, Matsumoto and Izuru there, the young sixteen year old girl jumped. "K-Kira-kun! R-Rangiku-san!"

"So I'm right, huh?" The strawberry orange haired woman grinned. "Is it private time with Hitsugaya?"

"Mou, we're doing what Ukitake-sensei (_teacher_) suggested. We need to practice our scenes together."

"Yes, that's what everyone says," Matsumoto replied as she extended her hand out and waved it back and forth.

"Matsumoto-san, we need to leave soon," Kira said, pulling the older student away.

"Oh yeah, I have to get home or else I'm going to be late!"

Momo blinked. "Late for what?"

"Gin's waiting for me at the front of the school," Rangiku replied. "The three of us are going to see a movie. We were about to invite you and Hitsugaya, but...it seems like you two have decided to spend your day together using a different approach."

"Mou..."

"Hurry up or else Ichimaru-senpai (_upperclassman_) is going to ditch us!" Kira reminded as he began dragging Rangiku away from Momo.

"Okay, ja ne!" she replied, waving good bye to her. "Be sure to tell me the details of your date!"

Momo turned red. "R-Rangiku-san!"

"Bye bye!"

"Ja ne Hinamori-kun," Kira said before the two teenagers left class 2-1 together.

The raven haired girl let out a sigh of defeat. "Well, I better not keep him waiting on the roof," she said.

* * *

By the time Hinamori made it upstairs, she found the white haired teenager nowhere to be found. Momo looked around. "I'm sure he said he will wait for me here," she wondered.

"I am here," said a voice.

Once she turned to the side, the raven haired girl immediately jumped. Toshiro has been right next to the door, leaning against the wall and looking over his lines in his script. "H-Hitsugaya-kun!"

"You really do get scared easily," he commented as he closed the script shut with a single hand.

Hinamori gave him a frown. "Mou..."

Leaving his leaning post, Hitsugaya walked up to the raven haired girl and said, "Let's get started."

"Hai!"

Opening the script to a particular page, he continued, "I suppose we should start from the beginning which is the party scene."

Momo slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah..."

* * *

After an hour of rehearsing, the two teenagers decided that now is a good time to take a short break. Momo let out a sigh of relief, content that one: she managed to stay on par with him when it comes to line memorization and two: she didn't make a fool of herself in his presence. Suddenly, a bottle of water was ejected from the drink machine. Hitsugaya took it out and held it out to the raven haired girl. "Here."

Upon accepting his offer, Momo took the cold drink with both her hands and said, "Thanks."

With a short nod, Toshiro resumed his attention to the machine, inserted another coin and pressed the same water drink button. Once again, a bottle of water is ejected. When he took hold of his drink, both teenagers opened the bottle caps and took a sip from their respected drinks at the same time.

Feeling the atmosphere becoming very tense around her, Momo wanted to ease it by sparking up an interesting conversation. _"Here it goes,"_ she thought. "You really are talented; you seem to know all your lines already."

"I suppose," he replied modestly. "You're pretty good yourself."

Hinamori felt her cheeks heat up a bit. She lowered her head and began fiddling with her fingers and her water bottle. "Well, that's because I have a great partner to work with. You've been encouraging me to do my best."

Toshiro then gave her a content smile. "That's good to hear."

_"He smiled at me again!" _Momo smiled back. "Let's continue to do our best, okay?"

"Alright, let's get back outside."

"Hai!"

As they are walking through the hallway, they passed by a group of senior students. Judging from the sport bags and helmets they're carrying over their shoulders, Hitsugaya figured them out to be from the football team. He closed his eyes for a moment and continued walking through the hall with Hinamori walking by his side. The only thing he didn't notice is that one of them accidentally bumped into the raven haired girl, causing her to lose her balance.

Without any warning, she bumped into him which got him to lose his footing as well. Ultimately, his back bumped against the lockers before he crashed onto the ground. When Momo came to herself, her eyes widened with surprise at the situation she has gotten herself into. She is laying on top of Toshiro Hitsugaya with her lips pressed against his.

She wanted to melt and savour the moment because she is kissing her crush. However, she knew better; he already has a girlfriend that he loves and is devoted to. There is no way for someone like him to pay attention to other girls like her. Hinamori quickly pulled away, got off him, and began apologizing to him. "I-I'm really sorry for doing that to you, Hitsugaya-kun! It was an accident!"

In that moment, Toshiro sat up and turned his attention to the flustered girl. Though the kiss was accidental, something inside him just sparked, causing a familiar wave of emotions to flood in his thoughts. Despite all that, he kept his composure. "Don't worry; I'm not mad at you," he replied, turning his head to the side while trying to hide the change of colour on his face. "I suppose we could...consider it as practice for the real thing."

_"He's so forgiving."_ Momo blushed and slowly nodded with agreement. "Ah...y-yeah."

There was a moment of silence where the two teenagers sat and didn't speak with one another.

"If it's okay with you, I-I would like to practice the kissing scene now."

"Yeah...I don't mind," Hitsugaya said. "Besides, that's the scene I'm always having trouble with and we need quite a bit of time to get it right."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking..."

The white haired prodigy got back on his feet. Resuming his attention to the raven haired girl, he held out his hand to her. "Let's head back outside, okay?"

With a short nod, she took his hand and got pulled back on her feet. After picking up their dropped scripts and water bottles from the floor, the genius and the new girl went back to their practicing spot on the roof.

* * *

"Okay, after you defeat all your enemies you find me in the deepest part of the cave," Hinamori said.

With a nod of agreement, he began reciting his lines. "At long last, I have found you my princess!" He then extended a hand out for the peach girl to hold. "Come; let us not dwell here any longer. I shall take you back to your kingdom."

Momo nodded with agreement. Taking a short glance at her script, she directed, "With me, you fought your way out of the cave. Then, we both stand face to face with one another under the spotlight."

Once he has done what she is instructed to do, the two teenagers held each others hands.

"My dear knight," Momo said. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. I felt like forever since I have seen a familiar face."

"My princess, I will always protect you whenever you need it." Hitsugaya replied. "I do these things because I love you."

Hinamori blushed once more. Though she read through this scene many times, she just can't get over the fact that Toshiro's acting is so flawless. Her heart raced like never before after knowing what's coming after her next words. The young girl said, "I love you too; I always did and I always will."

Looking deep into each others eyes, Hitsugaya wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. While the distance between one another continued to close, Momo lowered her head for a moment, causing her partner to stop. Knowing that he's patiently waiting, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that this is an act. She has to do this scene whether she likes it or not. Hinamori raised her head up again. Convinced that she's ready, Toshiro continued on with the kissing scene.

When their lips finally met, Hinamori found herself in a bliss. She closed her eyes wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, keeping him in place. She began to kiss him back. She savoured the special moment while it still lasts. By the time they finally stopped, their eyes gazed into one another. Momo is the first to snap back to reality. She went way too far with the scene. "Sorry again, I sort of got carried away."

"It's alright," he replied after he let go of her. He walked to the side, picked up his water bottle, opened the cap, and took a moment to drink from it. Once he is done, he closed the cap on the bottle and resumed his attention to the peach girl. "Like I said before, we'll practice until we get it right."

Momo blushed after imagining that she's going to be kissing him a few more times before she goes home. "T-That's fine with me."

"Well, it's time to start from the top."

"H-Hai."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Ou, it seems the kiss has caused quite the spark between the both of them. *Grins* How will it play out in the later chapters? Who knows...anyway, please review! Thanks!**  
**


	7. It's Complicated

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Yosh, an early update! Thank you everyone for being so patient with me especially my wonderful reviewers: **Ai Angel, becomeafan, lil'sayuri-chan****, j cloud xD, icyangel27, KnowledgeandImagination, serenity095, k a y - t h i, Neko-cheung, maili-chan, HyourinmaruIce, NeonCookies O.o, MoonLightView, Thrash Unreal, athfdrizzle, michi. hishiro, chococat450. **Thank you for all your support! Without any further delay, here is chapter seven. Enjoy!**  
**

* * *

**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Seven:** It's Complicated

Love. It is such a difficult word to understand. It could mean anything from family love, friendship love, and most of all, romance love. Momo thought that just being in love with him is just fine, but after they kissed one another several times, she wanted their relationship to take a step further. However, she knows too well that could not happen. He's only allowing her to kiss him for the success of the play. Also, he has Asuna to love, not her.

The peach girl let out a sigh of defeat. "What's wrong, Hinamori-kun?" Kira asked.

"Oh, it's nothing really important," she replied.

All of a sudden, she felt an arm draped over her shoulder. After pulling her close, Matsumoto said, "Judging by the way you were acting before, it seems like you've been thinking about Hitsugaya."

"W-What? I'm not thinking about him!"

"Oh really? Then, let me ask: have you two practiced the kissing scene yet?"

When she heard that, Momo felt her cheeks heat up a bit and her heart jumped a beat. All she could remember about it is the blissful moments of him sharing his love for her even if it's not real. Upon lowering her head, she slowly nodded with agreement. "Yeah, we rehearsed the scenes a few times."

"Did you two kissed each other on the lips?"

Hinamori turned red. "Y-Yes..."

Rangiku let go of her and exclaimed, "Really? You're serious?"

"Yeah, we did...kiss, but it's only an act."

The strawberry orange haired teenager folded her arms over her chest. Noticing that the woman is in the middle of thinking, Kira asked, "What's wrong Matsumoto-san?"

When she's finished, she turned to Momo and said, "Hinamori, are you sure he kissed you?"

"Of course he did," the peach girl replied, turning a deeper shade of red. "It's not a lie."

"Hn, interesting..."

"What makes you think I'm lying to you?"

Rangiku replied, "No, it's just hard to believe that Hitsugaya would allow someone else other than Asuna to kiss him."

"I'm telling you; it's only an act."

"Even if it's an act, he would still reject everyone else."

"Oh..."

"If what you said is true, then you have a chance!"

"What chance?"

"There is a chance for you and Hitsugaya to be together."

"What?" Momo said. "No way Rangiku-san, it can't happen especially when he has in-"

"He's interested in you now, not Asuna. It will only be a matter of time before he realizes it and break up with that annoying woman."

"Mou..."

"Matsumoto-san, the school bell is about to ring soon," Kira reminded. "You still need to go to the cafeteria to buy your lunch."

"Oh my gosh, why didn't you tell me this sooner?" the strawberry orange haired woman exclaimed. After getting back on her feet, she brushed the dirt off her school uniform and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, it's time for me to go."

She turned to the raven haired girl.

"The next time we meet, we're going to continue this conversation."

"Um, yeah..." Momo replied.

With a smile on the older teenager's face, she said, "See you guys later!"

She then left the pale blond haired teenager and the peach girl alone together. Hinamori let out a sigh of relief. "Arigato (_Thank you_) Kira-kun for getting her off my case."

"It's no problem," he replied. "She sometimes get too carried away with stuff like that."

"No kidding."

* * *

As Matsumoto is about to head into the school building, she stumbled upon her close friend sitting under a shady tree next to his girlfriend. Suddenly, a grin appeared on her face. Quietly, she hid behind a few thick bushes and started eavesdropping on their conversation. "This is so frustrating!" Asuna exclaimed, tossing her script into the air, not caring where it landed. "I can't memorize all these lines in time for the performance!"

"Yes, you can memorize it," Hitsugaya calmly replied. "It's just that you've been spending more time memorizing the beautiful princess' lines instead of the jealous princess'. There is no point in doing that because Hinamori is playing that role."

"I'm just memorizing her lines in case anything happens, that's all."

The white haired teenager raised an eyebrow, questioning why would anything happen to his classmate and friend. To him, she seems to be alright and ready to act her role at any moment. If she was here, she would have been ready to recite the whole play from beginning to end including the kissing scene. Yes, the same kissing scene that they've been practicing over and over again. Unconsciously, he placed a hand against his lips and started thinking about her.

"Toshiro, I don't feel very motivated right now," Fumiko said. "Can I get a kiss from you?"

However, he wasn't listening.

"Toshiro?"

Why did he allow Momo to kiss him whenever they're rehearsing that scene? Is it because he knows well it's just an act? If that's so, why is he experiencing the familiar feelings of lust, passion, and love that he felt towards Fumiko a few months ago? _"This is getting way too complicated; I have to figure out what I want right now."_

"Toshiro!"

"WHAT?" he suddenly snapped at the jet black haired girl. Upon realization on what he has just said, Hitsugaya began apologizing. "Sorry, I-I had a lot of things in mind right now. I didn't mean to snap at you."

She then wrapped her arms around his single one. As she cuddled against him, she asked the white haired teenager, "Are you alright? You seemed to be stressed out lately."

"I guess so..."

She smiled. "Don't worry; I know the remedy for that."

Just as she was about to give him a smack on the lips, Hitsugaya instinctively turned his head to the side and let her kiss him on the cheek. However, she wasn't satisfied with it. "Toshiro, why did you pull away?"

Not wanting to explain to her about his actions, the white haired prodigy stood up from his seat. "Sorry, I-I need some alone time to cool down."

When he is about to walk away, Fumiko ran after him and took hold of his wrist. Stopping to look back, he saw the girl giving him a teary look. "I've been feeling lonely lately. Ever since we started practicing for the play, we haven't really been spending time with one another. Even during the brief moments, you don't even give me a kiss. Actually, you barely look at me now. Have I done something wrong to make you hate me?"

"I don't hate you Fumiko," Hitsugaya replied. "Just as you say, I'm really stressed out at the moment. Don't worry; nothing will change the fact that we're dating."

"You promise?"

"Yes..."

She smiled and gave him a hug. "I love you Toshiro."

He returned the sentiment with a faint smile. "Me too."

Despite him saying that, something inside him suddenly started aching. His guilty conscious mentally stabbed him in the gut, telling him that he shouldn't lie like that when he doesn't really feel that way anymore.

"I-I have to go."

"Alright, I'll see you later."

"Ja ne (_Good bye_)."

Once the jet black haired girl left him alone, Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat and began walking elsewhere. All of a sudden, he felt an arm drape over his shoulder and pulling him close to her chest. "Yo, what's up?"

"Matsumoto, please let go of me," he said.

When she did as she was told, the white haired teenager turned his attention to the strawberry orange haired one.

"What are you doing here?"

"Oh nothing, I'm just wondering what you're doing all by yourself? The last time I've seen you like this is back in the days before you started dating Asuna."

"Is there something wrong with going back to that habit?"

"No, but it's always telling me that you have an issue in mind."

He didn't respond to her comment.

Rangiku placed her hands together on the back of her neck. "I heard that you've been actually practicing the kissing scene with Hinamori."

Toshiro asked, trying to understand what she's getting at. "Yes, is there something wrong with it?"

"I'm beginning to wonder if your acting really is acting."

Easily annoyed by her picking into his personal bubble, Hitsugaya let out a low frustrated growl. He asked, "What are you trying to get at?"

"I'm wondering if you have suddenly changed love interest. It seems like you want to keep practicing it as if it's some sort of cover up relationship you hid from Asuna. You have fallen in love with Hinamori, haven't you?"

He then turned his head to the side and didn't say a word.

Matsumoto folded her arms over her chest and let out a sigh. Just as she predicted, he's acting this way because what she said is true. "And how is your relationship with Asuna is coming along?"

Toshiro then gave her a stern look. "I think you know the answer to that question without me saying anything. Besides, you've been eavesdropping on our conversation."

"Eh, what are you talking about?"

"I saw your bright coloured hair sticking out from the bushes. It's hard to not notice it."

"Well...bye bye!"

"MATSUMOTO!" Hitsugaya snapped at the runaway teenager.

"If you think that you don't love Asuna anymore, then it's probably best that you break up with her! You don't want to get her on, right?"

"SHUT UP! I DON'T NEED RELATIONSHIP ADVICE FROM YOU!"

Once she is gone from a distance, Toshiro scowled and folded his arms over his chest. When he took a look at the roof, he noticed the raven haired girl up there with his other friend, Kira. After watching Hinamori smile and laugh at the pale blond haired teenager, he began wondering why he suddenly developed a strong interest in her while his previous interest is diminishing.

Ever since he met her, he found her to be quite timid and innocent, but sweet and cute. At the same time, he started to find other qualities about Fumiko has not shown before. As time passed by, he found his girlfriend to be quite demanding lately. All she thinks about everyday is being with him all the time. It sort of bothers him now.

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of defeat. _"I really need to take some time to think about this carefully."  
_

* * *

Toshiro got down on one knee in front of Momo. Upon taking her right hand, he kissed the top hand surface. He looked up at her and said, "It has been a while since I last saw you princess."

Deep inside, Hinamori felt very loved by Hitsugaya for paying so much attention to her. However, she always have to keep reminding herself that it is only an act. She smiled. "Same here. You've definitely have grown and become stronger during the time we've been apart."

"Of course, but my strength and growth can never compare to your growth and developing beauty. You're looking more womanly by the day."

The peach girl placed a hand over her mouth, suppressing a flattered giggle. "You're so modest."

As their classmates and teacher are watching the two star actors rehearse, Fumiko raised a hand up to her mouth and bit her thumb nail. She can't stand Momo being together with her Toshiro. Their passionate and dedicated acting are making things look very realistic as if they're the ones who are going out with one another, not her and him. "Asuna, it's your turn," one of her followers whispered.

She then shot a glare at them, mentally saying, _"I know when's my cue. There is no need to tell me."_

Asuna walked up to Hinamori and Hitsugaya, showing a sweet smile on her face. "It's nice to see you again."

Toshiro gave the jet black haired girl a bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again too."

He then took Fumiko's hand, got down on one knee, and gave it a kiss. By the time he got back on his feet, the two princesses and the knight watched the other party guests dance. "They dance so beautifully," Hinamori said.

"Yes, they do," Toshiro agreed.

"Why won't you dance with them?"

"Sorry, but I'm trained to be a knight, not a dancer."

"Well, you're going to have to learn." Momo took hold of his wrist. "I want to dance with you."

"Alright, now it's time for you two to slow dance together," one of their classmates said.

Hitsugaya and Hinamori gave him questioning looks on their faces. "What?" Momo asked.

"That's not part of the script," Toshiro corrected. "We were supposed to leave the scene by exiting to the right."

"Oh, I guess Nami wasn't able to give you the changed script," he replied, handing the both of them their edited scripts.

Once he took his, the fifteen year old took a moment to scroll through his lines. Once he closed the book, he resumed his attention to the class teacher. "Ukitake-sensei (_teacher_), there is a fine line between notifying us before hand. You do understand that we're only a week away from the cultural festival."

The teacher gave him a smile. "Yes, but since you're a genius Hitsugaya, I'm sure you can handle this."

He gave the older white haired man a look before sighing with defeat. "What about Hinamori?"

Jushiro then put a thumb up at the raven haired girl. "Good luck, Hinamori!"

"Oi!"

"It's alright Hitsugaya-kun," Momo said before turning her attention to Ukitake. "I'll work hard on my part!"

The long haired teacher gave her a nod. "I'm counting on you both."

"Hai (_Yes_)!"

"Now that everything's settled, it's time for the dance scene."

As everyone is walking to their places, Momo stopped and realized something. She then turned around and ran up to Jushiro. "Teacher, I-I just remembered that I don't know how to dance."

"Really? I guess that means we're going to have to practice the dance scene on another day. In the meantime, you need spend some time off of school to practice this for the festival."

"Okay, but who is going to teach me?"

Ukitake smiled. "Don't worry; I've got the right person to fill that role."

* * *

"Okay, are you two ready?" Rangiku asked watching her two companions standing in the center of the open spaced classroom face to face with one another.

Toshiro gave the strawberry orange haired woman a glare. "I can understand why Hinamori is here, but why do I have to be dragged into this too? I already know how to dance."

"There is no way I'm going to allow you to mess up the play's success! So, in order to guarantee perfection, you have to be closely informed as well."

He folded his arms over his chest. "Then, tell me where's Fumiko. She should be informed about this as well since she is the antagonist in the story."

"I've told her to come here, but she doesn't seem to have arrived yet."

Hitsugaya let out a sigh of defeat. "Alright then, we'll start without her."

"It's alright," Momo said. "We could wait for her."

"No way Hinamori," Matsumoto said. "If we wait for Asuna, who knows how long it will take for her to come here. Who knows, she could be cheating on Hitsugaya right now."

Toshiro gave her a short glare, but he didn't say anything to her. The older teenager shrugged her shoulders at him.

"What? It's a possibility."

The white haired teenager sighed. "Alright, let's get this over with."

With a smile on her face, Rangiku pressed a button on the stereo. After a few moments of silence, a classical music is played. She leaned back against the desk and watched her friend teach the peach girl.

"First of all, don't listen to what Matsumoto tells you to do," Hitsugaya pointed out. "She's a terrible influence and teacher."

"I totally heard that," she pouted.

Toshiro rolled his eyes and then held out his right hand. "Anyway, the first thing you need to do is take accept my offer."

With a nod of agreement, she took his hand with her own.

"Next, we bow to each other."

Pretending that she is holding out her dress with her left hand, she kneel a bit and gave him a short bow. At the same time, Hitsugaya bowed to her. "After that, you place your left hand on my shoulder while your right hand remains joined with mine. From there, you just follow my lead."

Though he said that, Momo couldn't help, but feel a little nervous about the prospect. She is going to dance with her crush. "Um, okay..."

Just as she was told, she placed her left hand on his shoulder while her other hand is joined with his right. Once she felt his left hand on her waist, her body tensed up. "Just relax Hinamori and take your time, okay?"

"What if I end up stepping on your foot?"

"Then, I'll make sure to dodge it whenever that happens. Are you ready?"

She slowly nodded with agreement. With that, they began dancing back and forth. A few minutes passed by and already Momo is getting the hang of it. As a matter of fact, she's quite enjoying dancing with the white haired prodigy. It's almost a dream come true. From time to time, they would move to the side to create some variety in their movements.

Judging their performance from the sidelines, a smile crept up on Matsumoto's face. The tone is set and it's about time for her to step out of the room so that they can share a private moment with one another. So, without a sound, the strawberry orange haired woman left the room without either of them noticing it.

"You're doing well Hinamori," Toshiro said.

"Thanks, you're a good teacher," Momo replied.

"On the day of the performance, we just have to dance the way we are doing now. Nothing's going to change."

"Okay..."

Once the music finished playing, the two teenager stopped moving. As they gazed into each others eyes, they began closing the gap between them. Just when they were about to give each other a kiss, they heard the slide door open. Instinctively, the two friends jerked back, let go, and turned their backs against one another. "I'm finally here Toshiro!"

Hitsugaya and Hinamori turned to see the jet black ponytail haired girl standing at the door. "Fumiko, what took you so long?"

"Sorry, I had to get ready for the perfect occasion."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Perfect occasion for what? We're only going over our dance steps."

"Hitsugaya-kun, it's about time for me to go home now," Momo said.

"Alright then, I'll see you tomorrow."

She gave him a soft smile. "Ja ne."

After bowing to him and Asuna, she claimed her belongings and left the room, leaving the two lovers alone. _"Yes, we get to have some alone time now!" _Fumiko excitedly thought. "Let's start practicing the dance routine, okay?"

"Sorry, I'll be right back," Toshiro said. "I need to use the men's room for a bit."

"Oh, okay then. I'll be here waiting!"

With a nod of agreement, he left the girl alone in the room. After waiting for a few seconds, Fumiko stomped on the floor with a single foot and growled with frustration. "Argh, that insect must have said something to him about me or else he wouldn't be acting this way! She's definitely going to pay for this!"

* * *

After he got into one of the stalls of the boy's washroom, he locked it shut. He then turned his back and leaned against it while letting out a defeated sigh. If it weren't for Fumiko barging into the room, he would have kissed Hinamori and caused great complications to arise between them. Because he almost did that, his feelings are officially thrown off in more ways than one. "Damn it..."

He placed his hand on his chest where his heart is located and closed his eyes.

In some point in the future, he will have to choose a path to take. The first choice is to break up with Fumiko and confess to Momo in hopes of getting together with her. The second choice is to forget about his feelings for the raven haired girl and stay with his girlfriend. If he were to choose now, the answer is fairly obvious. He would choose her.

Toshiro opened them again and concluded, "If that were to happen, then I have to find some way to make sure that she understands my situation."

* * *

**Author's Note: **He likes Momo and he likes Fumiko. Which of the two girls will he choose? Well, find out what happens next in chapter eight. Stay tuned and please review! Thanks.**  
**


	8. The Play  Part I

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Yay, here's another update of The Knight and his Princess. Special thanks goes to **Ai Angel, Thrash Unreal, k a y - t h i, j cloud xD, monkeywinz, KnowledgeandImagination, becomeafan, Samantha, Neko-cheung, yoyogigi125, nomangaandanimeequalsdead, HyourinmaruIce, applestoapples, athfdrizzle, SMILES208, icyangel27, lil'sayuri-chan, serenity095, NeonCookies O.o, maili-chan**. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! Without any further delay, here is Part I of The Play. Enjoy!**  
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**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
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**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Eight:** The Play - Part I

After days of practicing and rehearsing, the day has finally arrived. Today is the cultural festival and class 2-1 is hours away from the start of their live performance. "Kyaa! He's so hot!" a group of female classmates squealed, awing over their class prodigy's changed clothes.

"You got that right!" Matsumoto agreed, standing next to him. "It definitely took me a long time to make this perfect outfit for him to wear."

"You call this perfect?" Hitsugaya asked, looking down at himself. "I don't look like a knight at all. As a matter of fact, I look like prince charming opposed to what I'm supposed to look like."

"Whatever, those two fairytale characters are practically the same."

He shot her a glare before letting out a defeated sigh. There is no use trying to go against her. Besides, there's not much time left until the performance on stage. So, he can't ask her to change the outfit now. "Guess who's finally in the house?" asked a familiar voice.

Heads turned their attention to the door to see Fumiko Asuna dressed in an elegant purple coloured princess outfit. Her long jet black hair is curled and left loose.

Her followers are the first ones to walk up to her. One of them said, "You look great, Fumiko-sama!"

"You're very stunning!"

However, the complement she wanted to hear is Hitsugaya's. After ignoring the girls, she walked up to the white haired teenager and asked, "How do I look Toshiro?"

He took a look at his girlfriend and replied, "You look wonderful."

With a burst of happiness, she threw her arms over his shoulders and embraced him. As Hitsugaya is suddenly overwhelmed by her actions, he heard her say, "Oh, you're so sweet! I love you so much, Toshiro!"

"Ehrm, yeah...same here."

With a smile on her face, Fumiko skipped away from her boyfriend and returned to her followers. "He said I look wonderful! You two feel the same way, right?"

"Ah yes," one of them replied.

"Most certainly," the other added.

Just as Asuna is about to reply back, they heard the sound of cooing. "Aww, you look so adorable in your costume Hinamori!"

She turned her head to see the raven haired girl dressed in her pink princess outfit. Her hair is only tied up in a semi-ponytail with a pink bow ribbon.

Noticing that she is getting more attention than she is, Fumiko frowned. "I don't see anything that makes her look prettier than me."

"Yeah, she's ugly," said one of her followers.

"Not pretty at all," the other added.

"Well Hitsugaya, don't you have anything to say to Hinamori?" Matsumoto asked, grinning at the white haired knight.

He shot her an icy glare before turning his attention to the peach girl. "You...you look very lovely in that costume," he said.

His words hold true for her. Toshiro really believed that Momo looked beautiful in her dress. She honestly looked more appealing to him than Fumiko is.

Upon hearing him say such a complement, Hinamori lowered her head to hide the fierce blush on her face. She timidly replied, "Thanks, you...look quite handsome yourself."

"Oi Hitsugaya, over here!" said one of his classmates.

"Please excuse me for a moment," he replied.

Momo just stood there and slowly nodded with agreement. As she watched him go away, she couldn't help, but feel a little sad inside. The feeling of acknowledgment only lasted for a short while. _"Oh Hitsugaya-kun..."_

Matsumoto suddenly slapped her back with her hand, causing the girl to jump. "Yup, it's all settled!"

"What's settled?"

"He definitely is attracted to you."

"That's impossible. I've told you before; why would he be interested in me when he already has Asuna?"

"Oh Hinamori, did you ever hear of the saying: there's more to it than meets the eye?" Rangiku asked. "Though he doesn't quite show it, he does care about you."

"Mou..."

Little did Momo know, Fumiko is no too far away and had witnessed the whole previous scene between her and her boyfriend. She bit deeply into her thumb nail that it broke. _"That boyfriend stealer! This is the last straw! I'm going to make sure that you don't ever get your happy ending!" _

* * *

"Alright class," Ukitake said while clapping his hands. "It's time to gather around."

Students of class 2-1 walked up to the long white haired teacher and listened attentively to what he has to say.

"There are only two hours left before our live performance starts. I just want to say that you've all done a great job making it this far. Now, it's up to you to blow the audience away with your acting."

"Yes teacher!" everyone exclaimed.

He smiled and nodded with agreement. "Alright then, you're all dismissed."

As students are getting back to their positions, Fumiko approached and tapped the young princess on the shoulder. Momo turned around and immediately tensed up. "Y-Yes, Asuna?"

She let out a fake smile. "Hey Hinamori, can you help me with something?"

She bit the bottom of her lip, unsure of what to say to the jet black haired woman. She took a moment to look around. There is no sign of Matsumoto or Kira anywhere. "Um, okay..."

With that said, Asuna ushered the peach girl to go with her all the way to the hallway where there is no one around. During this time, Hitsugaya was about to come out of the washroom, but then he noticed the two girls. He stepped back in and watched them pass by. He raised an eyebrow, wondering what they are doing together. _"It's almost showtime, why are those two still wandering around here?"_

Just as he is about to follow them, he was immediately distracted by his male classmates who is pulling him by the wrist. "Oi Hitsugaya, let's head back already! The last thing we want is one of our star actors to not be present when the show starts!"

"Just...give me a moment," he said. "I remembered I needed to do something important. Don't worry; I'll be back before the play starts."

"Well hurry up then, we don't want to have a midlife crisis at hand."

Toshiro nodded with agreement and then ran in the other direction. However, he was immediately stopped by passing teacher. "Ah Hitsugaya-kun, it has been a while."

"Um, yes it has been," he replied, bowing down to her. _"These are one of those days where I wished I wasn't so popular amongst the students and the teachers." _

Once he was done talking to the teacher, Hitsugaya resumed his search to find the two female teenagers. He looked through every place they could possibly be, but his efforts were fruitless. After opening his eighth door, he took a moment to look at the display clock. Toshiro then closed his eyes and let out a defeated sigh.

"I better head back now or else I cause a lot of trouble for everyone."

He reopened them again and closed the slide door.

"Hopefully, nothing happens to them."

* * *

Meanwhile, Asuna has lead Hinamori outside the school building to a place nearby where the tennis courts and the soccer field are. The peach girl wanted to say something to the jet black haired girl, but she is too nervous that she might do something to harm her. So, she kept her mouth shut and waited for her to say something.

For a moment, she took a look at the large display clock on the school building and noticed that there is no much time left before the play starts. There is only an hour and thirty minutes left. Worried that they're going to be late, she had no other choice, but to tell her. "Um...Asuna, shouldn't we head back now? The others are going to get worried. We're in the first scene of the play."

She suddenly stopped and turned around. "I know Hinamori, but what I needed to ask you is very important. I don't think the other girls are going to understand what I'm going to tell you."

Momo blinked. "I-Is that so?"

She nodded with agreement. "Yes. I have recently realized that I have been mean to you over the past month and I'm dearly sorry for my rude actions."

Asuna suddenly draped her arm around her shoulder and pulled the girl close. As they walked a little further, she continued talking.

"Do you have the heart to forgive me?"

"Well, everyone deserves a second chance," Momo replied. "So, yes...I forgive you."

"Thank you Hinamori." A grin appeared on her face. "You're too KIND!"

Just as she said that, the jet black haired girl pushed the peach against the door of the storage shed. It swung open, causing Momo to crash onto a bed of soccer balls, tennis rackets, mats, and other sports equipment. As she recovering, Fumiko used the opportunity to close the door again and lock it from the outside.

By the time the raven haired girl noticed, she strutted to the door, took hold of the knob with both hands, and turned it. However, it was unable to open it. Feeling desperate, she pulled it a few times before one of her hands began knocking on the door. "Asuna, please open the door! It's not funny!"

Suddenly, she heard a laugh from the outside. "You're so gullible Hinamori. Do you really expect to live a happily ever after with my Toshiro? Well, let me tell you something; get real and give up on him!"

"But I wasn-"

"Have fun staying there."

"Asuna, wait!"

Hearing no voice replying back, Momo pounded against the door, trying to use her strength to break the door open. However, she was too weak to do that. After a few minutes of struggling to escape, the female teenager got tired and stopped. She turned around, leaned against the door, and slowly slid down to the bottom. She curled up into a ball and began sobbing in her arms.

Just when she thought everything is going well, Fumiko had to ruin her day once more. Now, she is jeopardizing the play's success because of her absence. "What am I going to do now?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **Oh geez, Asuna has really done it now. Momo's trapped inside the sport's storage room. Will she be able to make it back to her class on time for the play? Who will save her? Gah, there's two chapters left in the story! It's madness! Find out what happens next in chapter nine! In the meantime, please review! Thanks. **  
**


	9. The Play Part II

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Kept you waiting for a while? Well, there's no need to worry about that anymore! I'm back with chapter nine! xD Special thanks goes to my wonderful reviewers: **Ai Angel, MoonLightView, NeonCookies O.o, Thrash Unreal, serenity095, icyangel27, k a y - t h i, SnowKoyuki13, KnowledgeandImagination, maili-chan, HoneyFlower15, Neko-cheung, Kaye. Shirogane, athfdrizzle, applestoapples, Samantha, becomeafan, lil'sayuri-chan, yoyogigi125, monkeywinz, HyourinmaruIce****, sapphire wind**. Thank you for your support! Without any further adieu, happy reading!**  
**

* * *

**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." **PA Announcement. **_**Storytelling. **(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
_

_

* * *

_

**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Nine:** The Play - Part II

Time is coming closer and closer to the class' deadline. With only fifteen minutes until the play starts, not everyone is present and accounted for. "Where is Hinamori?" one of the students asked.

"I have no idea," another replied.

A third student then turned to the strawberry orange haired teenager. "Rangiku-san, do you have any idea where she could be right now?"

She folded her arms over her chest and tilted her head for a moment. Soon after, she shrugged her shoulders. "To be honest, I really don't know. Hinamori should have been back a long time ago."

"Maybe we should start searching for her in case something came up," Kira suggested.

Turning to the pale blond haired teenager, Rangiku nodded with agreement. "Yes, we should do that."

"In that case, Matsumoto, go to the office and tell the secretary to put up an announcement in the PA system," said a voice. "In the meantime, the rest of us will search her in all the places where she could be."

When heads turned to the side, they saw Hitsugaya and Asuna approach them. "Toshiro, but there's not much time left until the play starts," Fumiko said. "I could always take over the role as the young princess."

"Yeah, but who is going to take over the role as the jealous one?" The white haired prodigy suddenly asked his girlfriend.

"Toshiro..."

He resumed his attention to his companions. "We'll find Hinamori before the play starts."

Rangiku, Kira, and a few of the other classmates nodded with agreement. "Alright, we have ten minutes to search for her throughout the school grounds," Matsumoto said. "We'll all come back here in the last five minutes before the play starts."

"Okay," Kira said.

With nods of agreement from the other students, they began leaving the gym in searching of the missing peach princess. Just as Hitsugaya is about to leave, he felt a hand grab hold of his wrist. He stopped and looked back to see his girlfriend. Asuna said, "Toshiro, you're needed here. The last thing we want is the knight to go missing as well."

However, he pulled his arm away from her and forced the girl to let go of him. "Sorry Fumiko, but I'm going to help."

With that said, the white haired knight left to join in on the search, leaving the jealous girl behind. _"That girl has definitely done something to my boyfriend. He's coming out of my reach. Hopefully, nobody will be able to find her before the play starts."_

* * *

**_Momo Hinamori of class 2-1, please make your way to the gymnasium. I repeat: Momo Hinamori of class 2-1, please make your way to the gymnasium._**

Hitsugaya ran through the hallway (while avoiding people along the way), searching high and low for Momo. _"Where could she be? She couldn't have went somewhere too far from here." _

All of a sudden, he stopped and thought. The last time he saw her was when she was walking with Fumiko. From that moment, he turned around and ran the other direction. By the time he arrived at his destination, he stood in front of the boys washroom door. Toshiro then turned around and looked to his left. Walking in that general direction, he began tracing Hinamori's steps.

_"Where were they headed?" _

He walked, passed a few classrooms, a few students, and a few teachers. After thinking and walking for a full three minutes, he stopped at the shoe locker room. He looked at a nearby clock before letting out a small hiss.

_"Time's running out. Where is she?"_

"Hey, did you pass by the sports storage shed by the soccer field a while ago?" one student asked.

"Yeah, I heard noises coming from there," another replied.

"Was there someone inside?"

"There shouldn't be because it hasn't been opened since last year!"

"Could it be a ghost?"

"Who knows..."

After eavesdropping on the conversation, a thought arose in Toshiro's mind._ "Could it be?"_

Just to make sure, he went there to check it out.

* * *

When he came there, Hitsugaya found no one to be around. He put his ear against the wall and listened to the sobbing sound that is coming from inside. Raising a light fist up, he tapped on the door. "Hinamori, are you in there?"

"Hit-Hitsugaya-kun?" asked a soft voice from the other side.

He let out a silent sigh of relief, thankful that he is able to find her. "Yeah, it's me."

"Hitsugaya-kun, it really is you!"

"Just stay put for a moment; I'll get you out of there."

"Okay..."

Suddenly, he tilted his head forward, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh. By the time he reopened them, he looked down at the lock he held in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and bit the bottom of his lip. _"Time is definitely not in my favour today."_

If he were to go and call for help now, they will be late for the opening scene of the play.

_"Come to think of it, this lock looks familiar."_

After a long moment of thinking carefully, two thoughts came into mind.

_"If this is what I think it is, then...I can unlock it."_

Using his right hand, he began playing with the lock, trying to get the correct combination to open it. After a few seconds, he tried pulling on it. It didn't open. An eye twitched.

_"Come on...remember the combination to opening this lock."_

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

_"You've been told the combination. Now...concentrate."_

When he opened them again, once again he returned to playing with the lock.

_"I swear, I will free her from the storage shed." _

He pulled on the lock again, it didn't budge. He let out a small hiss and tried again.

Meanwhile, Hinamori anxiously waited for him to open the door for her. She raised her hands up, closed her eyes, and placed them together._ "Onegai Kami-sama _(_Please God_)_, let Hitsugaya-kun set me free from this place." _

All of a sudden, she heard a click. Momo quickly opened her eyes and raised her head to see the door swing open. On the other side of it is her knight in shining armour, standing with his back against the light.

"Hitsugaya-kun..."

"Hinamori..."

Tears trickled down her cheeks causing the peach girl to shut her eyes tight. In the process, she ran up and putting her arms around him. "Thank you...for saving me."

Toshiro closed his eyes and let out a soft relieved sigh. After wrapping his arms around her, he kept her close. "It's no problem."

As they stood there for a few moments, Hitsugaya took the lock and secretly put it in his pocket. After the play is over, he has some business to take care of. "Oh my gosh, we're going to be late!"

He reopened his eyes and nodded with agreement. "Let's hurry back to the gymnasium."

"Hai (_Yes_)."

* * *

"Argh, there's only two minutes left until we are scheduled to start!" Rangiku exclaimed. "The stress is killing me! What is taking him so long?"

"I hope nothing happens to him," Kira replied.

"Wait a minute, I think I see Hitsugaya!" one of the student called out, ushering the other students to check it out.

After taking a peek through the side curtain, they saw the white haired teenager and the peach girl trying to pass the crowd of people. "You're right; he's with Hinamori-kun!"

All of a sudden, Matsumoto put up a guts fist. "Yosh, it's time for us to get into positions and please the crowd who are anxiously waiting! Everyone's finally all here and accounted for!"

When Asuna took a peek and saw them, she bit the bottom of her lip. _"Damn it, she's out. Now, I can't play her part."_

She let out a defeated sigh.

_"Oh well, as long as Toshiro doesn't find out, then everything's going to be alright."_

"What took you guys so long?" Rangiku asked.

"We'll talk about this later," Hitsugaya replied passing by the strawberry orange haired teenager (while holding Momo's hand and taking her wherever he goes). "The both of us are in the first scene. The play is about to start!"

"Ah right!"

"Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori said, stopping the younger teenager for a moment.

After he turned to her, he asked, "What is it Hinamori?"

While her cheeks turned a little pink, the peach girl gave him a soft smile. "Um, l-let's show them a great performance."

He smiled back. "Yes, we shall."

By the time Toshiro got to where he was supposed to be, he took a brief look at Asuna, who is standing right next to him. His eyes narrowed a bit before resuming his attention to the stage, waiting for his cue.

"Get into your positions everyone," Ukitake said. "The curtains are going to raise up."

When the red curtains did, everyone heard the sound of clapping from the audience. They knew it's time for the show to start. "Thank you for your patience. We will now commence with the play of The Knight and his Princess acted by the students of class 2-1."

The lights were lit and shining down on the group of dancers and guests that have attended the party. As classical music started playing, the storyteller started saying her lines.

**Once upon a time, there is a young princess who lived in a beautiful kingdom where she is loved by everyone around her: her parents, her elders, and her companions.**

"That's your cue Hinamori," Matsumoto whispered to the peach girl before giving her a gentle push.

Momo stumbled a bit before regaining her composure._ "Okay, I can do this."_

She walked to the center of the stage. Immediately, she heard the noises of cooing hearing comments such as _Aw, she's so cute_ and _The princess looks so pretty_. Hinamori let out a small blush before she joined with her fellow classmates. "Your highness, my you have grown over the past year!" one of them said while the others bowed to her.

"Yes, it has been," she replied, bowing back to them. "It's a pleasure to see you all again."

**She is loved very much by everyone except for her jealous older sister. **

It is when Fumiko entered the stage from the left. One look at the young princess interacting with her fellow actors, she turned to the audience for them to see the frustrated expression on her face. "Is there something wrong princess? You don't seem to be enjoying yourself," one of her classmates asked.

Giving her a fake smile, she replied, "Nope, there is nothing wrong at all."

"Young knight, you have come!" Hinamori said.

Heads turned to the side to see the white haired teenager enter the scene from the left. All of a sudden, screams echoed the gym, squealing over the fact that the all star soccer player and genius has finally shown himself as the knight of the play. However, Toshiro didn't let it bother him. He's too busy acting his part. When he noticed Momo, the acting knight walked up to her. Then Hitsugaya got down on one knee in front of Momo. Upon taking her right hand, he kissed the top hand surface. He looked up at her and said, "It has been a while since I last saw you princess."

She smiled. "Same here. You've definitely have grown and become stronger during the time we've been apart."

"Of course, but my strength and growth can never compare to your growth and developing beauty. You're looking more womanly by the day."

The peach girl placed a hand over her mouth, suppressing a flattered giggle. "You're so modest."

_"Evil bitch, hands off of him."_ Asuna walked up to Hinamori and Hitsugaya, showing a sweet smile on her face. "It's nice to see you again."

Before Toshiro said anything, he shot her a serious look. For a moment, Fumiko could have sworn that he is mad at her over something, but she soon dropped the idea. Besides, why would he be mad at her? The white haired teenager gave the jet black haired girl a bow. "It's a pleasure to see you again too."

He then took the jealous princess' hand, got down on one knee, and gave it a kiss. By the time he got back on his feet, the two princesses and the knight watched the other party guests dance on the stage. "They dance so beautifully," Hinamori said.

"Yes, they do," Toshiro agreed.

The peach girl leaned over to him. "Why won't you dance with them?"

He raised an eyebrow at her for a moment before regaining his composure. "Sorry, but I'm trained to be a knight, not a dancer."

"Well, you're going to have to learn." Momo took hold of his wrist. "I want to dance with you."

She pulled him to the center of the stage. During this time, the lights were turned off. A few seconds later, the spotlight is lit up and shining down on them. Holding one side of her dress to the side, she gave him a bow. Unsure of what to do, he did so likewise by slightly leaning his body forward. Once they have finished with the dance greeting, she took hold of Toshiro's right hand and intertwined it with her own. He looked at it for a moment before turning his attention to the young princess. She gave him a warm smile. "Shall we get started?"

"Oi, didn't I tell that I'm not cut out for danci-" Hitsugaya said before he was interrupted by Hinamori's sudden movements.

With her left hand placed on his waist, she began dancing with him. For a few moments, they danced to the music by stepping back and forth to the soft beat. "I see that you're quite skilled with your feet considering this is your first time."

"Um, thanks...I suppose."

"If I remember correctly, it should be the men who is leading the dance, not the other way around."

"O-Of course..."

Hitsugaya then place his left hand on her waist and took the leadership role of the dance. They danced back and forth a few times before Toshiro lead the princess to dance on one side. Soon after, they switched positions.

In the middle of all this, Momo felt like she was pulled away from reality and zoned into an everlasting dream. This dream is a place where it is only shared by her and her white haired crush.

As the two star actors continued to dance, Asuna's hands turned into first. Raising one up, she let out a growl of frustration. Though it is an act, she's still mad at Hinamori for being together with Hitsugaya. _"Ou, I hate her!_" she exclaimed. _"I am the one who was supposed to get the young princess role, not her!"_

Once Toshiro finished dancing with Momo, the two dancers walked back to Fumiko with content smiles on their faces. The jet black haired princess said, "Oh dear knight, I would like to dance with you too."

"Oh...okay."

He held out his hand for Asuna to take hold of. Shortly after, he lead her to the center of the stage before they started dancing together. Though she is having the time of her life, she noticed that Toshiro isn't quite as dedicated as she was. As a matter of fact, his eyes seem to focus on the raven haired girl who is smiling and occasionally waving at him. Despite it being an act, Fumiko has taken the matter seriously. To her, it looked like Hinamori really is getting Hitsugaya's attention. Her eyes narrowed at the peach princess while making a disgusted look on her face.

"Princess, is there something wrong?"

"Ah no, it's nothing," Asuna replied while resting her head against his shoulder. "Thank you for the dance."

"It's nothing, really..."

When their time together is finally over, Toshiro gave the jealous princess a bow of thanks before returning to Momo's side. After watching them talk, Fumiko noticed them suddenly smiling and laughing together. She raised a hand up and began biting on her thumb nail while growling with frustration. Soon, the stage lights were turned off, leaving only a spotlight to shine down on Asuna. "Damn her! Damn that princess to the depths of the underworld!"

**The main reason for her jealousy is because like her younger sister, she has fallen in love with a young handsome knight who often comes to visit the kingdom. She knew as long as her sister is in her way, the knight will never fall in love with her.**

"I will kidnap her and take her to a place so far away that she won't ever come back to this kingdom ever again!"

All the stage lights were turned off, signaling the stage actors to quickly leave the stage and get ready for the next scene. While stage props are being exchanged, Rangiku ran up to Hinamori and helped her with the zipper on her back. "Okay, you're doing well," the strawberry orange haired woman said.

Once her dress is loose, Momo stripped of her dress. Underneath it, she is wearing a long pink night dress. "I was a nervous wreck out there," the younger teenager said.

"Whatever you say." Matsumoto pushed the girl toward the end of the curtain. "It's time for you to be getting into position."

Meanwhile, Hitsugaya is taking a short break because he is not in the next scene. He sat on an empty seat and drank some water from his water bottle. "Toshiro, watch me," Fumiko whispered with giving him a sweet smile.

When she turned around, Hitsugaya watched her for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat. _"Concentrate, now is not a good time to be worrying about other matters."_

Once everything is ready, the narrator continued on with the story.

**So, one night, the jealous princess kidnapped the young princess in her sleep and imprisoned her in a dark cave far away from inside the kingdom's perimeters. It is known that those who enter the cave are destined to never return. **

Fumiko entered the stage from the right. With the spotlight on her, she looked back and forth, making sure that not one sees what she's doing. Turning to whatever is behind her, she ushered her guards to come. They entered the stage with one of them carrying the sleeping young princess in bridal style. Once they made it to the other side of the stage, they placed her down on the floor behind the backdrop which has a picture of a dark cave. "Now that she's here, there is no way for her to get out," Asuna recited. "Everything is smooth sailing from here on out. Everyone will love me now instead of her!"

The lights were turned off, allowing the actors to leave the stage and the backstage crew to set up the props for the next scene. When the lights turned back on, people from the kingdom were already present on stage.

**Knowing that she is gone from her life, the jealous princess could relax and look forward to her bright future. For weeks, she managed to capture the hearts of many, but all except the knight's. **

The kingdom actors except Fumiko left the stage to the left, allowing Hitsugaya to enter from the right. She noticed the white haired knight and smiled. Running up to him and grabbed one of his arms. She hugged it. "Oh dear knight, it's good to see that you have come back safely from your recent journey."

"Yeah, thank you for worrying about me," he replied.

She cuddled against him.

"I-I have some other business to take care of right now. Sorry I can't stay with you."

"Oh okay then." Fumiko let go of him and started waving at him a good bye. "I'll patiently wait for you!"

With a short wave, he watched the jealous princess leave the stage to the right. The lighting then changed to a spotlight, shining down on the only actor on stage.

**The reason is his heart is with the young princess'.**

"The young princess has been missing for days with not clue to where she is," Hitsugaya recited with his eyes closed and a hand placed over to where his heart is located. Reopening the glowing emerald-teal orbs, he continued to say the rest of his lines for the audience to listen. "Now, it's time for me to set forth into unknown territory. I will find her even if it kills me."

**With that in mind, he decided to go out and search for the missing princess on his own. **

He took out his sword from its sheath and held it up into the air for the audience to see. For a brief moment, he ran out of the stage to his left, the lights were turned off, giving the backstage crew to quickly change scenes. Momo returned to her spot in that scene and watched as the scene unfold before her. When the lights were back on, Toshiro ran back on stage, charging at the three students, who are to be monster creatures and coming in from the other side, started to attack him. He stopped for a moment and got into a battle stance, watching their movements carefully.

By the time one of them made the first move, Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and charged as well. Holding his sword horizontally, he slashed his enemy off to the side and went for the other two. The next student tried to attack him from the side, but he was too smart for him. He evaded by doing a faint before he _cut _him down. The last student grabbed one sleeve of his dress shirt to signal that damage has been inflicted upon him. Hitsugaya pulled back and placed his free hand on his invisible wound. He hissed between his teeth. Ignoring the _pain_, he defeated his last obstacle and proceeds deeper in the cave.

**He searched high and low for the missing princess; defeating many of his enemies along the way. He hopes that one day he will find her. Eventually, his wishes were granted. **

The lights were turned off for a brief moment before it was turned on again. Two spotlights were shining down on the white haired knight and the young princess. "At long last, I have found you my princess!" Hitsugaya recited while putting away his sword back in its sheath. He then ran up to the peach girl and set her free. He extended a hand out to Hinamori for her to hold . "Come; let us not dwell here any longer. I shall take you back to your kingdom."

Hinamori smiled and nodded with agreement. With that said the two actors have fought their way out of the cave and stood in the middle on the edge of the stage. The spotlights followed their position. They turned to each other face to face with their hands joined. "My dear knight," Momo said. "Thank you for coming to rescue me. I felt like forever since I have seen a familiar face."

"My princess, I will always protect you whenever you need it." Toshiro looked down for a brief moment before looking into Momo's chocolate brown eyes. "I do these things because I love you."

Looking back at the white haired teenager, the young girl said, "I love you too; I always did and I always will."

Meanwhile from the side of the stage, Matsumoto, Asuna, and a few other girls were watching the whole scene. "Ou, this is getting to the good part!" Rangiku whispered excitedly.

"Is Hitsugaya really going to kiss her on stage?" one of the girls asked.

"Who knows," another replied.

Asuna bit the bottom of her lip. _"No, he won't. He's with me. So, he won't kiss her at all. It's guaranteed." _

Looking deep into each others eyes, the two friends leaned closer to one another. As the audience are anxiously waiting for the kissing scene to happen, Momo could feel her nervousness getting the better of her. She lowered her head. Upon noticing her doubt, Hitsugaya began thinking back to their first meeting.

He could tell right off the bat that she has an interest in him. At the time, he simply ignored it because he already has Fumiko. He thought he loved her, but as time passed by, he began seeing her in a different light. He is having trouble trying to understand her feelings. As a result of it, his emotions for her just simply faded away. From there, he began leaving her side. Instead, he became drawn towards the raven haired girl. Before he knew it, he just wanted to stay with her.

Toshiro wrapped his arms around Momo's waist, closed his eyes, and quickly gave her a loving kiss on her lips. Those who knew that Hitsugaya's relationship status were quite shocked with the result. He kissed the young princess just as he was instructed to do. Normally in situations like these, a boyfriend shouldn't be going around kissing girls other than his girlfriend.

Matsumoto put up her two fists and let out a mental squeal of delight. _"It's official! Hitsugaya has a love interest for Hinamori!"_

"He actually kissed Momo-chan," one of the girls said.

"She's so lucky," another girl added.

Asuna, on the other hand, is shocked that Hitsugaya would do such a thing in front of her eyes. _"No, this can't be happening!" _

Her flaring eyes then turned to the peach girl.

_"That knifing bitch! She completely stole him away from me! She's going to pay!" _

She was surprised by his actions. However, it didn't take long before she too closed her eyes, draped her arms around his shoulders, and began kissing him back.

By the time they broke apart, they looked at one another and smiled. With their hands joined together, they both left the stage to the right. The lights were turned off, allowing the scene to change to the kingdom.

The kingdom actors entered the stage and waited for the lights to turn on again. When it did, Hitsugaya and Hinamori re-entered the stage. "Young princess, you're safe!" one of the actors exclaimed while throwing her arms around Momo.

"Yes, I'm safe thanks to my dear friend," she replied, turning to Toshiro with a smile.

The white haired knight merely smiled back.

"By the way, where is my sister?" Momo asked, looking around for Fumiko's presence.

"About that..." said one of the kingdom guards. "It's quite a long story."

**In the end, the jealous princess was banished from the kingdom while the knight and his princess lived a happily ever after. The End. **

The curtains closed. As the audience stood up, clapped, or whistled with joy, the red curtains opened again to reveal all the actors on stage. With their hands up high and joined together, they bowed to the audience in thanks for watching them. A few of them waved their hands, saying hi to their friends and family.

When the curtains closed again, students let out sighs of relief while others jumped with joy. Momo placed her fingertips on her lips and turned her head to the side. She watched Toshiro walk past her.

After remembering about the kiss they shared on stage, she began wondering if Toshiro felt the same way as she did: the passion, the love, and the sense of completeness of souls mended into one. However, a smack of reality dawned to her once more. _"That's right; this is a one sided love. He already has Asuna to be with."_

Hitsugaya pulled his girlfriend away from the view of his classmates and lead her to an empty staircase and hallway. Fumiko threw her arms around her boyfriend and said, "Oh Toshiro, I missed being with you!"

However, he didn't say a word. Instead, with a serious look on his face, he took hold of her wrists and gently placed them down on her sides.

She gave him a questioning look. "What's wrong?"

The white haired teenager lowered his head and thought for a bit. After letting out a sigh, he raised his head and said, "We need to talk."

"Talk? About what?"

"Our relationship..."

* * *

**Author's Note: **And that's how the play went on; it was a success! Yay! Now, the big question is: how will this story end? Well, you're just going to wait and find out in my next update. Stay tuned for the final chapter which will be posted in about three days! In the meantime, please review! Thanks.

P.S. New poll has been posted on my profile. Please take the time to answer the question. Thank you. **  
**


	10. Our Happily Ever After

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own the _Bleach_ series in any way. All copyrights go to Tite Kubo. The only original character I do own is Fumiko Asuna.

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**Author's Note**: Gah, it's almost over! Special thanks goes to** j cloud xD, maili-chan, becomeafan, icyangel27, monkeywinz, k a y - t h i, Rinka Tokmiya, yoyogigi125, HoneyFlower15, serenity095, HyourinmaruIce, MoonLightView, Samantha, applestoapples, KnowledgeandImagination, athfdrizzle, Kaye. Shirogane, lil'sayuri-chan, Thrash Unreal, NeonCookies O.o, sapphire wind, SMILES208, Neko-cheung. **Thank you for your reviews! Without any further adieu, here is chapter ten of The Knight and his Princess. Enjoy!**  
**

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**LEGEND**

"Talking." _"Thinking." Flash Back _or _Character Narration__. _(_Japanese Word Translations_) _  
_

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_

**The Knight and his Princess**

**Chapter Ten:** Our Happily Ever After

The alarm clock sounded throughout the bedroom. However, the person it was supposed to wake up is already out of bed and getting ready to go to school. After fixing his long tie in front of the mirror, Hitsugaya walked over to the small desk and pressed the top of the clock with his hand. Once the device have been silenced, he picked up his cell phone and put it into his pants pocket. Just as he is about to leave the room, he picked up his school bag that was resting on the bed and headed to the living room to meet with his grandmother. "Ohayo (_Good morning_) Toshiro," she greeted.

"Ohayo Obaa-san (_grandmother_)," he replied as he took a seat at the table across from her.

Leaving his bag on the floor, he placed his hands together. After, he picked up his chopsticks and rice bowl and began eating his first meal of the day.

Once he is done, he placed his empty bowl and chopsticks down on the table. "Thanks for the meal. It was delicious."

The elderly woman let out a content smile. "Thank you."

He helped her gather all the dishes and carry them to the kitchen so that she can wash them.

"How are things going between you and Fumiko?"

Upon hearing her name, Hitsugaya let out a soft sigh. Turning to his grandmother, he replied, "A lot has happened between us."

"I see; it turned out that way, didn't it?"

"Yes, it has."

"How are you feeling now?"

"If it's regarding the break up, then I'm not upset," the white haired prodigy replied. "She did something I didn't like and I did something that she didn't like as well."

* * *

_"I...I think we should break up."_

_Asuna blinked a few times before asking, "Break up? Toshiro, why do you want to break up with me? I thought you said that you love me."_

_"I do, but...I can't lie to myself anymore or want to hurt your feelings than they already are," he answered. "I used to love you. Right now, I'm in love with someone else." _

_The jet black haired girl then lowered her head. She clenched both her hands into tight fists. "So the worse has happened after all."_

_She raised her head, looking at him directly in the eyes. They were flaring with great jealousy.  
_

_"You became attracted to that evil witch, Momo Hinamori." _

_"Fumiko, don't call her that. She's no witch." _

_She placed a hand on her chest while the other is held out to the side. She exclaimed, "She did mean things to me! Over the past few months, all that girl did was make my life miserable! How can you not see her in that way? You're my boyfriend; you're supposed to believe whatever your girlfriend has to say!"_

_"You're right; I'm supposed to believe you. However..." Hitsugaya put his hand into his pants pocket and took out the object that is in there. He then held it out for her to see. Asuna's eyes widened. "...How can I trust you when you're the one who locked Hinamori in the sports storage shed?"_

_"Toshiro..."_

_He handed the lock back to her. "And the warnings my friends and classmates told me about, they were right. You did quite a few cruel things to her during our time together."_

_"No...please..." Just as he turned around, she grabbed hold of a section of his cape. Immediately, she got his attention. "...don't tell the teachers about this and most of all, don't leave me."  
_

_"Fumiko, I could have not said a word to the teachers and abandoned Hinamori to continue on with this relationship, but...you have crossed the line. If there is one thing I can't tolerate, it is anyone hurting my friends behind my back. Furthermore, my love for you isn't as strong as it used to be. With that said, this relationship is over."  
_

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"In order to keep us from hurting each other any further, I ended our relationship together," Hitsugaya explained. "It's for the best."

There was a brief moment of silence.

"What did you do to cause the strain in your relationship?" his grandmother asked.

"...I feel in love with another girl."

The elderly grandmother placed a hand on his head and gently caressed it. She gave him a soft smile.

"Whatever choice you make, I hope you don't regret it. Also, be sure to not to hurt another girl's feelings while you're at it."

Toshiro smiled back. "I understand."

* * *

The bell rung at the end of the school day. Students of Seireitei High rushed out of their classrooms, happy that their day is finally over. The strawberry orange haired teenager stretched her arms into the air before putting her hands together behind her back. "I'm so happy the day is finally over!" Rangiku said to her pale blond haired friend as they walked through the hallway together. "Ah Kira, did you hear the latest news?"

"What latest news?" Izuru further questioned.

"The news about the popular couple, Hitsugaya and Asuna."

He slowly shook his head. "What about them?"

"Apparently, they have recently went on their separate ways."

"R-Really?"

Matsumoto nodded with agreement. "From my sources, it is Hitsugaya who did the breaking up."

"Hitsugaya did? I can't believe it. I thought he liked her."

"He did like her. It's just his love interest must has changed."

"You're still thinking that he has an interest in Hinamori-kun?" Kira asked.

"Absolutely!"

He let out a sigh of defeat. "Even if he does, it's not like those two are going to be together anytime soon."

Suddenly, an idea came into her thoughts. Without any warning, Rangiku grabbed Izuru's wrist and began dragging him in the other direction. "M-Matsumoto-san, what are you doing?"

"I just remembered I forgot something from the classroom. You're coming with me!"

"Oi, wait a minute! Why do you need me to come with you in the first place?"

"Just because...I want some company."

"Aww...Matsumoto-san."

"No buts, it's time to get going!"

Kira sighed with defeat. "Why do I even bother?"

By the time they arrived at their destination, Matsumoto is about to open the back classroom door until she noticed something is going on from the inside. She took a peek through the small opening from the door.

"What are you doi-"

"Shh, be quiet." She hushed the pale blond haired teenager. "It looks like things are going to get interesting from here on out."

Wondering what she's talking about, Kira also took a peek inside only to find his raven haired friend and another one of his companions in the classroom together.

* * *

Momo finished packing her belongings and closed her bag. After letting out a sigh, she was about to leave her seat when she noticed a familiar presence. Standing right beside her is the white haired prodigy of their grade. "Hitsugaya-kun..."

"Hey, how are you doing?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm doing fine. How about you?"

"Not too bad, I suppose..."

There was a brief moment of silence. "I noticed that Asuna is not here today."

He turned his head to the side. "Yeah, she got suspended."

"Suspended? What was she suspended for?"

Resuming his attention to her Toshiro explained, "The teachers found out what she did to you yesterday."

"Oh..." she replied. After a short pause, a question suddenly popped into her head. "Wait, the only people who knew that I was in there are Asuna and..._you_."

Hitsugaya nodded with agreement. "I explained the whole situation to them."

"I-I see. Um, why did you do that to your girlfriend?"

"It's wrong to treat others poorly especially when it is out of jealousy," he answered. "Even though she _was_ my girlfriend, I didn't like what she did to my friend."

"Bu-But how did you know it's her who locked me in the storage shed?"

"She used her spare lock to keep you inside. I recognized it because she showed it to me once and told me the combination to open it," he explained. "At the time, I wasn't really paying attention because I was juggling with my soccer ball with my feet. I'm glad I still remembered it."

"I see," Momo replied. "Thanks again for saving me."

"It's no problem."

Hinamori is happy that Hitsugaya paid some attention to her even if it's only out of friendship. Suddenly, a thought came into mind. Turning to the white haired prodigy, she asked, "Wait, a while ago, you said that Asuna was your girlfriend. Did something happened between the both of you?"

"Yeah, I broke up with her yesterday a few minutes after the play was over."

"Oh..."

Leaning against the desk behind him, he placed his hands on the corners so that he doesn't lose his balance. "Part of the reason I broke up with her is because I found out what kind of person she really is. Just as everyone around me has said, she's a jealous girl who likes to be the center of attention. I feel stupid for dating her in the first place. I didn't see that part of her for the longest time."

"It can't be helped. You...were interested in her."

"I suppose so...My second reason to break up with her is because she harmed you, a dear friend I have grown to care about."

_"A dear friend he has grown to cared about."_ Momo felt her cheeks heat up. Quickly, she lowered her head and began fiddling with her bag handle. "I-I'm glad that you value me as your good friend, but why do you care so much about me?"

It is when Toshiro looked deeply into her eyes. He said, "Ever since we've been given the roles of the knight and the young princess for the play, my feelings started to change. I began to see Fumiko as the jealous princess just like in the story. At the same time, I began to see you...as the beautiful young princess that the knight has fallen in love with."

"Hitsugaya-kun..." She couldn't believe what he's saying. Is it true that her friend has taken interest in her? "I-I don't know if your feelings are real. What if you have fallen in love with me just because of the play's influence?"

The white haired teenager didn't reply right away. He lowered his head and replied, "You do have a point, but I believe my feelings are as real as they could ever be. My feelings for Fumiko back then is nothing compared to my feelings for you. With my ex-girlfriend, it's just a simple crush. On the other hand, with you...I-I have a very difficult time trying to explain my emotions in words. I can't stop thinking about you."

He placed a hand over the left side of his chest.

"My heart beats so fast just thinking about it. Sometimes, I can't even think straight. My mind would always think back to the many kisses we shared during our private practice time together."

_"His speech...I never knew he felt so strongly for me,"_ Hinamori thought.

However, doubt clouded her thoughts.

"I-I'm still not sure if I can take your word for it."

Hitsugaya then left his leaning spot, got behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Leaning over, he closed his eyes and gave her a kiss on the side of her temple. Hinamori looked over her shoulder and began kissing him back with her lips over his.

When they broke apart, he continued, "Your heart feels the same way as my heart does."

"I..."

"Momo, don't you want to live a happily ever after just like in the story of The Knight and his Princess?"

"I-I do, i-it's just..."

"There is no such thing as love that follows a fairytale ending?" Hitsugaya then smiled. "Then, let's make a fairytale ending with our relationship."

"Y-You don't mind?"

"Of course not. All that matters is I love you, what else am I supposed to say?"

Hinamori then let out a soft smile. She has come to a consensus. There is no point in doubting him any longer.

"Let me ask you: will you be my girlfriend, my dear princess?"

"Because you have saved me from doom and have cared for me for so long, I'll be happy to be your girlfriend, my dear knight," she replied. "With all my heart, I love you too."

After they said their words, they sealed the deal with a loving kiss. "I'll walk you home, Momo."

"Thank you, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya held out his hand for the peach girl to take hold of. She stood up from her seat and gave him a smile. With their hands joined, they walked out of the classroom together and headed to the shoe locker room.

When they finished changing their shoes, they walked out the building and began leaving the school premises. Along the way, they noticed a patch of strawberry orange hair and pale blond hair hidden in the bushes. Hitsugaya let out a sigh while Hinamori blushed. "Do you think Rangiku-san and Kira-kun are watching us?" she asked.

"Knowing that woman, the news is going to quickly spread throughout the school by tomorrow morning just like what happened to my break up with Fumiko. As for Kira, he's just being dragged into the whole situation," Toshiro replied. "Do you mind, Momo?"

She smiled and gave him a sweet kiss. "Let them see it. All that matters is that we're together."

In response, he just smiled back with great content. Together, the two newly formed lovers left Seireitei High School.

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_In the end, this young princess got what she wanted; she gets to live happily with her knight in shining armor for the rest of the days of her life. This is a true story because it actually happened to a friend of mine. To be more exact, it happened to my girlfriend. That's right; Momo is my princess and I am her knight. This tale I am about to wrap up talks about our happily ever after._

_**~ OWARI**_ (_The End_) ~

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**Author's Note: **And that's all she wrote! The End! I hope you all liked the story while it lasted. Special thanks goes to my wonderful reviewers: **Rikku Deathberry **_aka_** Selkie Aquamarina, Neko-cheung, KnowledgeandImagination, HyourinmaruIce, MoonLightView, sweet miracle 'michu 17, Kaye. Shirogane, becomeafan, lil'sayuri-chan, j cloud xD, k a y - t h i, serenity095, athfdrizzle, Ai Angel, icyangel27, RiiXHitsuHina, monkeywinz, michiHitsugaya **_aka _**michi. hishiro, maili-chan, NeonCookies O.o, DestinedDuelist893, Samantha, SnowKoyuki13, applestoapples, NOYB, bengara-koushi, Chibi Hotarubi, sapphire wind, Thrash Unreal, chococat450, yoyogigi125, nomangaoranimeequalsdead, SMILES208 ** for your support! A shower of HitsuHina cookies are coming your way!

What am I doing next? Well, I'll try to update The Next Greatest Treasure whenever I get the chance. (_Blasted school!_) Hopefully, I'll be able to post another HitsuHina fan fic. I'm quite excited about it because it's actually a complete improved and remake version of one of my old stories. Can you guess which one it is? xD

Anyway, please leave your comments and guesses in a review! Thanks and I'll see you later! Long live the HitsuHina love!


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